Kenneth Feinberg Has Continued His Work in Alternative Dispute Resolution After VCF Closed
Sep. 2 2021, Published 9:17 a.m. ET
Starring Michael Keaton as Kenneth Feinberg, Netflix's Worth takes a new look at the crippling dilemmas the officials working for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) had to face.
Released on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, about a week ahead of the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, Worth casts light on the harrowing responsibilities lawyers like Kenneth Feinberg had to assume. What has happened to Kenneth since then? Where is he now?
So, where is Kenneth Feinberg now?
The VCF concluded its work in 2004. Kenneth went on to work for the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, set up to provide financial relief for the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting.
On June 10, 2009, he was appointed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to set the pay for the top 175 executives at the seven largest Troubled Asset Relief Program fund recipients, per NYU School of Law.
In Oct. 2016, Kenneth joined the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program established by the Archdiocese of New York. He was responsible for evaluating the claims submitted by victims of sexual abuse.
"Just in the state of New York, we have resolved 1,346 cases and have paid out $258 million (all funds provided by the New York dioceses)," Kenneth told ABC News. "The program has been extremely well received, and individual abuse claims continue to be received and processed notwithstanding the change in the New York statute."
Kenneth Feinberg is a successful author.
In addition to What Is Life Worth?, the 2005 memoir dealing with Kenneth's experiences as the Special Master of the VCF, Kenneth is also the author of Who Gets What: Fair Compensation After Tragedy and Financial Upheaval.
Kenneth Feinberg worked for Ted Kennedy before joining the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the New York University School of Law, Kenneth earned his stripes with a stint as former U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy's assistant. He became his chief of staff later on.
He established himself as an expert in litigation and dispute resolution with cases like the Agent Orange compensation settlement. Kenneth was appointed as the Special Master of the VCF in 2001.
Worth focuses on Kenneth's attempts to redress the unjust suffering of those who lost their loved ones in the September 11 attacks.
He devised the guidelines for compensating grieving families, and he also presided over more than half of the court hearings. Described as the "Compensation Czar" by Time, Kenneth was criticized for his work by some.
"People should read some emails I received during the [work for VCF]. 'Dear Mr. Feinberg: My son died in Oklahoma City. Where's my check?'" he said, describing the problems he had to face while on the job in a 2008 interview with the Washingtonian. "How do you carve out the very special, generous use of public taxpayer money for just a small group of victims of life's misfortune?"
Worth arrives on Netflix on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021.
