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American Morning
Seven 9-11 Victims Suing Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, Taliban and Others
Aired February 25, 2002 - 08:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: For the families of seven victims who were lost in 9-11, it is an attempt to get some payback. They have filed a multibillion-dollar class action lawsuit against Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, the Taliban and others. The goal, they say, is to bankrupt all terrorists, along with those who harbor and help them.
Joining us now from Philadelphia, Fiona Havlish, one of the plaintiffs, and her attorney, Tom Mellon.
Good to see both of you. Thank you very much for being with us this morning.
FIONA HAVLISH, PLAINTIFF: Thank you.
TOM MELLON, ATTORNEY: Thank you.
ZAHN: Havlish, help us understand why this is so important to you to be a part of this class action suit.
HAVLISH: It's important to me to take control of my life. The control of my life was taken away on September 11 by the terrorists, and this is also helping me with the healing process and going on with my life.
ZAHN: Donald, of course your husband, was killed when one of the hijacked airliners crashed into the south tower. As you go through this process of being a part of this suit, you are being warned that Osama bin Laden's assets are tied up, they are frozen. How realistic is it to think that you will actually get any money as a result of this lawsuit?
HAVLISH: My goal is not to get any money for myself. My goal is to make sure that the assets are tied up that -- so that the terrorists are not able to get to them.
ZAHN: Tom, what are the chances of this class action suit succeeding?
MELLON: I think there's a very significant chance. Before we filed the class action lawsuit, we had a scholar at Harvard Law School carefully examine it, another scholar at Georgetown Law School carefully examine it, plus our own experience. So we believe we will be certified in the federal courts in Washington, D.C. and we will have great success.
ZAHN: But tell us what you're up against when it comes to Osama bin Laden's assets being frozen as well as some of the al Qaeda network.
MELLON: Well the federal government in 1998 froze $300 million of Taliban/Afghanistan assets, $50 million are left, $250 million having -- already been given back to Afghanistan. But with regard to the complaint, we have 140 other defendants, institutions, businesses, organizations, many of which are in Saudi Arabia, and we intend to proceed against them.
ZAHN: What kind of reaction, Tom, have you gotten from the government?
MELLON: Well the government has not communicated with us directly, although we have unofficially been in touch with the people at the State Department. But I think it's going to be a very supportive action. I think they are pleased that we are proceeding against some of the very same individuals that they are proceeding against, and I expect we'll have great cooperation.
ZAHN: Fiona, I know you said this is very important for you to feel empowered and to feel like you have some sense of control over your life, but now that is Donald is gone, you are left to raise a young daughter alone. Help us understand what it's like to live your life at the same time where you feel like you want to make a difference in the war on terrorism.
HAVLISH: Well the lawsuit, I have made it a part of my life. I have not made it my life. I am still a mother; I am raising my children. I have two children that are getting ready to go to college and I still have a child in preschool. And I'm still a mom and I work as one.
ZAHN: How bitter are you?
HAVLISH: At this point I'm not. I'm trying to channel whatever anger I have in the appropriate direction and I try to keep the bitterness and anger out of my life as much as possible.
ZAHN: And what has it meant to you to enjoy this new friendship with some of the other women who have entered into the same suit?
HAVLISH: It's actually wonderful. It's like having sisters. We're all very close. We manage to finish sentences for one another. We know what each other is thinking. We know what each other is feeling without talking.
ZAHN: Well I'm glad you're able to find some solace in all this darkness.
Fiona Havlish, thank you so much for coming by to help us better understand the suit. And Tom Mellon, thank you...
MELLON: Certainly. ZAHN: ... for your perspective as well. Good luck.
HAVLISH: Thank you.
MELLON: Thank you.
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