Posted on 05/27/2004 10:48:37 AM PDT by Puppage
NEWARK, N.J. -- The mistress of a Port Authority officer who died in the attack on the World Trade Center is suing his widow, seeking a greater share of benefits for a child from their affair.
Officer Liam Callahan, 44, died on Sept. 11, 2001, leaving behind a wife, Joan, and four children in Rockaway Township. They would have celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary the next day.
He also left a girlfriend, Kimberly Diaz, who had just become pregnant.
Joan Callahan did not know about the affair, her lawyer said. But when a paternity test confirmed that Liam Diaz Callahan was her husband's child, she included him when applying for benefits from the government's compensation fund, according to court records.
Records show the fund would pay about $1 million on the request, with each child getting about $145,000, but Diaz claims her son should get more. The widow opposes the effort.
Diaz lawyer James Dronzek told The Star-Ledger of Newark the argument is based on how the proposed award was calculated.
The compensation fund valued Mrs. Callahan claim at $3.26 million, based on her husband's age and potential earnings. That was offset by $2.2 million the family received from life insurance and pension benefits.
Dronzek said Liam Diaz Callahan may be due some of the offsets, or may be due child support. The child does receive Social Security survivor benefits.
Callahan, a 22-year police veteran, earned about $67,000 a year, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
Diaz, 36, said she met Callahan while she worked as a Port Authority communications agent at the Journal Square PATH station in Jersey City, and they become romantically involved in March 1999.
Acording to an August 2002 Sidney Herald article, there is an older son that Officer Callahan was paying Ms. Diaz $200 a week in support. They had been having this affair since 1999.
If I wanted to legally change my name, it'd take a little more than the will to do so.
Makes little sense. Why couldn't any woman with a paternity claim name her kid after the defending male, whether he did the "fathering", or not? It gives her quite a moral advantage until the DNA result comes in. Does the innocent male have any recourse, I wonder, at finding his name so used?
I guess you're saying that it is only convention, nothing legal, in "handing down a name."
No good deed goes unpunished
re: Sheesh. My only question is how his mistress's child came to have HIS last name?)))
You can put any name you wish on the birth certificate, it does not have to be the surname of the unmarried mother, in fact it does not have to be the surname of either parent, married or not. You can make your children's surname anything you wish when filling out the birth certificate.
"If I wanted to legally change my name, it'd take a little more than the will to do so."
A court order, and some forms to fill out at the post office, the dept. of motor vehicles, IRS, SS admin., etc. Not easy, but can be done, and is done regularly for all sorts of reasons.
" I guess you're saying that it is only convention, nothing legal, in "handing down a name."
yes
"but if I was married to one of those shrill 9/11 widows, I don't know what I would do"
HAHAHA you'd be dead!! Perhaps sitting on a cloud playing your harp, or swimming in the lake of fire wialing and gnashing your teeth.
It's like blaming welfare programs, and benefits, on welfare recipients. None of them would receive a dime either if our stupid politicians didn't provide the programs that pay them.
If you are surprised that yet another gov't program (the victim's compensation fund) is poorly administered, and unfair, then you haven't been paying attention.
Well, apparently you weren't paying attention when you read my reply. I didn't blame the families for the existence of the families' fund. I was criticizing those (probably relatively few in number) who were complaining about not receiving enough money. It tied in with what 2banana was saying about soldiers' widows getting $12k.
In fairness to the widow, she may have figured that the mistress would make a public fuss if the wife did not include her name. If I were the widow, I'd figure including the bastard child's name may be the best of all possible options for dealing with such a humilating situation.
In fairness to the widow, she may have figured that the mistress would make a public fuss if the wife did not include her name. If I were the widow, I'd figure including the bastard child's name may be the best of all possible options for dealing with such a humilating situation.
Let the chips fall where they may. Blood money is exempt from logical distribution.
Don't know how a funeral expense is related to this story...I do know that military members are offered an inexpense policy called SGLI, or Serviceman's (could be servicemembers now) Group Life Insurance...
Oh, this is horrifically disturbing, yes.
Officer Liam Callahan, 44, died on Sept. 11, 2001, leaving behind a wife, Joan, and four children in Rockaway Township. They would have celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary the next day.
to this:
In her lawsuit, Diaz says Liam Diaz Callahan was conceived on Sept. 10, 2001.
Gee, uh, Happy Anniversary, honey.
He has some 'splainin' to do, here and in the next life.
Fight on, widow. I hope you win, and go for atty's fees, too...
OMG - ROFLMAO.
mamzelle I got it.
If 911 didnt happen Liam would have left his wife to marry his prenant mistress and paid alimony to his wife and child support to his 4 children....LOL..
I am not far off with my thoughts that Mz. Diaz consulted a lawyer who advised her to keep the child for monetary gain.
Unless of course lawyers suddenly got morals with 911.....
How far does 67 K yearly salary go under that scenario of alimony and child support for 4 kids.
Mz. Diaz affair was not for monetary gain but his death surely became a monetary gain to her.
Eagles up!!!
Prayers engaged!!!
Henry Lee II
"Leftists are crazed and violent people,
With the blood of millions on their hands.”
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