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Sunday, March 10, 2002
By Cindi Lash, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Like other spouses and relatives of United Flight 93's passengers and crew, the Rev. Paul Britton has spent much of the past six months grieving for his sister and wrapping up the loose ends of her life.
Marion Britton, 53, the assistant regional director of the U.S. Census Bureau in New York City, never married or had children, so her brother was her closest relative. She died without first making out a will, so he had to obtain court permission to oversee her estate before he could even start to unravel her financial affairs and distribute the possessions in her Brooklyn apartment.
But unlike thousands of others whose loved ones died in the conflagration of Sept. 11, Paul Britton and his family have been able to quickly resolve one financial issue that confronted them after Britton's death. They have chosen not to seek financial compensation for her loss, either through a lawsuit or from federal or private charitable funds set up for victims' families, because they believe others need that money more.
"There are people who very much could make use of the money that's out there. We aren't among them," said Paul Britton, the father of two grown sons and the pastor of Gloria Dei Evangelical Lutheran Church in Huntington Station, N.Y. "I was not a dependent of my sister, and I would much rather see that money go for people whose fathers and mothers died, whose future is uncertain."
Almost from the beginning, Paul Britton said, he felt that it would be inappropriate to file a lawsuit against United Airlines, Newark International Airport or airport security firms because he believed those entities also were victims of the terrorists who boarded and brought down Flight 93. Nor did he feel comfortable about applying for a share of money donated to various charity funds set up after Sept. 11.
His family's financial situation was secure before his sister died, leaving an estate of about $350,000. Like each of the Flight 93 families, the Brittons received unsolicited contributions of $25,000 from United Airlines and $5,000 from the New York-based Robin Hood Relief Fund, both of which were intended to cover expenses after the crash.
But Paul Britton said he didn't feel his family should seek or accept more money, knowing that so many others had been left in dire financial circumstances after Sept. 11. When he broached the subject with his wife and his half-brother, John, they told him they felt the same way.
"If I felt a lawsuit would solve an issue that I thought was legitimate, it would be different. But the president characterized [the Sept. 11 attacks] as acts of war. At least in my mind, to sue American or United airlines would be just like suing another victim of war," he said. "The people responsible are all dead and you certainly can't sue them."
His family also decided not to apply for charity funds and the federal compensation plan, no matter what form it takes when it is finalized. Britton said he was aware that other Sept. 11 families, in news accounts, had voiced fears that they'd be left with almost nothing after subtracting life insurance or pensions from their share of the federal fund.
"That, in a way, seems unfair to me. That's why I'm not applying for it," he said. "Whatever money is out there should be in the hands of the widows and the children."
The Rev. Paul M. Britton, whose unmarried sister, Marion, died aboard Flight 93, prepares to lead morning prayers at Gloria Dei Evangelical Lutheran Church in Huntington Station, N.Y. He and his family have decided not to seek financial compensation for her death. (Andy Starnes, Post-Gazette)