NEW YORK, NY October 16, 2007 —Mayor Bloomberg today confirmed the city is talking to plaintiffs attorneys. They’re seeking claims for more than 9-thousand people who say they were injured during rescue, recovery and cleanup efforts after the World Trade Center attacks.

REPORTER: Bloomberg said looking for a settlement is natural in any lawsuit, but that doesn’t guarantee that there will be one.

BLOOMBERG: We're gonna talk to them, but there’s no number. There’s no reason to think we can come to a settlement. There’s no reason to think we can’t come to a settlement. Plain and simple. We’re just gonna talk and explore.

REPORTER:P The federal government gave the city 1 billion dollars to pay possible World Trade Center-related medical claims. City attorneys maintain that money was intended only to defend the city from lawsuits and can’t just be handed out. Plaintiffs attorneys and several senators say the city has misinterpreted the mandate behind the money.