Cantor Fitzgerald, the securities firm that suffered enormous losses in the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, is being sued for unpaid rent by the property developer behind the World Trade Centre site.
Larry Silverstein, the property magnate, has filed a lawsuit demanding more than $1-million for the rent owed between August 1 and September 10 2001.
Cantor Fitzgerald occupied floors close to the top of Tower One in the World Trade Centre and lost 658 employees in the tragedy — almost two-thirds of its workforce.
Silverstein signed a 99-year lease on the financial centre a few months before the attacks. His company continues to pay rent to the owners of the buildings, the port authority of New York and New Jersey, even though the 110-story twin towers were destroyed.
According to the court filing, other former tenants in the towers have either settled their accounts up to September 10 or are in discussions to do so.
Gerald McKelvey, a representative for Silverstein said: ”All of the former major tenants of the World Trade Centre towers with the exception of Cantor Fitzgerald have acknowledged their obligation to pay rent for their offices to September 10 2001. Cantor Fitzgerald has refused to do so and this lawsuit is the result.” A representative for Cantor Fitzgerald said the firm had no comment.
Silverstein has been locked in a battle with the insurers of the towers. His company took the lease on the World Trade Centre for $3,2-billionn and has been seeking more than $7-billion from a group of 20 insurers. He argues that because two planes crashed into the towers he should be allowed to make two separate claims and recover twice his coverage of $3,6-billion.
A New York judge sided with the insurers’ claim that the event was a single occurrence. Silverstein plans to appeal against the ruling in July.
Silverstein also owned number seven World Trade Centre, a 47-storey building that was destroyed by fire after the collapse of the towers. Number seven is being rebuilt.
He is working with the architect Daniel Libeskind on the final designs to replace the full 10m square feet of office space that was lost when the towers collapsed. The plans continue to be controversial with a new poll yesterday criticising the proposal to place a memorial three storeys deep inside the pit where the towers stood. -Guardian Unlimited Â