Ken Feinberg on 9/11 Fund Fights: ‘Everybody Counts Other People’s Money’

Ken Feinberg on 9/11 Fund Fights: ‘Everybody Counts Other People’s Money’

In the new Netflix movie Worth, the lead character Ken Feinberg, played by Michael Keaton, leads the fight for fair compensation for 9/11 victims and their families. The real-life Kenneth Feinberg, the first "special master" of the federal government's 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, has an even more dramatic story to tell—of his efforts to place a value on the lives lost, and convince the loved ones of those who died to take the money, as well as the lingering impact of the tragedy on his own life.

Feinberg, 75, an attorney specializing in mediation and dispute resolution, oversaw the VCF for 33 months following the attacks, personally evaluating claims and deciding compensation values while helping to craft the administrative structure of the fund. Working entirely pro bono, he heard almost 1,000 cases in person, and worked hand in hand with the bereaved families to settle their claims.