Man Abandons Family For 28 Years, Now Applies For Dead Son's 911 Victim Comp Award

Get yer hands off 9/11 victim cash, she tells deadbeat ex

NY Daily News
By JONATHAN LEMIRE
Tuesday, June 19th 2007, 4:00 AM

The mother of a Sept. 11 victim is trying to prevent her son's absentee father from trying to collect half of the $2.9 million awarded by the Victim Compensation Fund, the Daily News has learned. Elsie Goss-Caldwell will be petitioning a Brooklyn Surrogate's Court judge tomorrow to keep her ex-husband from financially benefiting from the death of a son that she said he had little contact with for 28 years.

"This is not about money, this is about respect for my son," said Goss-Caldwell. "How dare you try to profit from this? How dare you disrespect him?" Kenneth Caldwell, 30, had been living in Brooklyn and worked as a technology representative for Alliance Consulting, whose offices were on the 102nd floor of the World Trade Center's north tower. After the first plane struck his building, he managed a quick call to his mother before the phone line went dead.

"He said, 'Mom, I just want to let you know that I love you, but I've got to get of here,'" said Goss-Caldwell, who owns a small notary business in Philadelphia. "He was such a nice young man, very funny, and very well-loved." Kenneth Caldwell's remains were never found. He was single at the time of his death and left no will, so his mother was appointed the administrator of his estate, according to her lawyer, Paul Bschorr.

But Kenneth's death prompted his father, Leon Caldwell, to try to reenter the life of his ex-wife, whom he had divorced in 1979 and not seen since 1984. "This is a craven and disgraceful attempt to profit from the death of his son whom he abandoned at age 2," said Bschorr. "This woman raised her sons by herself and she deserves the full award."

Leon Caldwell received half of his son's $50,000 workers' compensation payment but immediately had to use $12,000 of it for child support because he had not been sending $30-a-week payments to his former spouse, Bschorr said. "He was never there for my boys, physically, emotionally or financially," said Goss-Caldwell. "And it's so hurtful that he's trying to come back now just for the money." Leon Campbell did not return calls for comment.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/06/19/2007-06-19_get_yer_hands_off_911_victim_cash_she_te.html