Ill September 11th workers and their families are about to weigh in on a multi-million dollar settlement that would prevent thousands of lawsuits from going to trial.

A federal judge is hosting a hearing at the Pearl Street Court House later today to determine whether a proposed settlement is fair and appropriate.

One of the biggest questions is how much each plaintiff will receive of the $657 million payout. A neutral third party is expected to decide individual cash payments, which could range from a few thousand dollars to more than a million.

The trouble for the workers is that they would have to approve the overall deal before they actually know their individual payout.

Additionally, those who take the payout would not be eligible for the long-term health care coverage proposed in the federal James Zadroga Bill. The bill was approved by a House committee earlier this week.

If the judge declares the settlement fair, it’s up to the workers to make a final decision; 95 percent of them have to sign on for the deal to go through.

(Source: http://www.ny1.com/)