May 2, 2002

Joyce Purnick Metro Matters column discusses cost of personal injury lawsuits to New York City; number of suits has decreased because of numerous settlements, but price tag has increased to about $500 million, as juries become increasingly generous and appellate courts are reluctant to substantially reduce awards; Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to reduce number of tort suits; State Trial Lawyers Assn continues its annual survey of sidewalks in preparation for claims, and holds city is at fault for allowing infrastructure to deteriorate (M)

Footlights column: Mario Vargas Llosa wins PEN/Nabokov award; other PEN literary awards noted; tribute to jazz saxophonist John Coltrane will be held at Symphony Space; Amor Artis Chorus and Orchestra will present world premiere and US premiere of music by Felix Mendelssohn; Skirball Museum and Cultural Center in Los Angeles will present photography exhibit by Edward Serotta titled Survival in Sarajevo: Jews, Bosnia and the Lessons of the Past; photos (M)

Director of Federal Emergency Management Agency Joseph M Allbaugh says agency will immediately reopen more than 7,000 applications for housing assistance that agency denied afer Sept 11 terrorist attacks; acknowledges that there is 'perception' that FEMA has denied assistance to those who should have received it; says steps will be taken to avoid misunderstandings about exactly who is eligible and to ensure that all eligible cases are assisted; announcement comes after days of increasing criticism in Congress about agency's performance in responding to Sept 11 attacks; agency has rejected 7 out of 10 applicants for housing aid because it decided to limit benefits to those who could prove their lost income was 'direct result' of attacks; that standard goes beyond laws and regulations that have traditionally governed disaster relief efforts; Allbaugh's announcement of review does not specifically address new 'direct result' requirement, which he has defended in recent interviews (M)

US Treasury Sec Paul H O'Neill spars with members of Senate Banking Committee about nation's financial condition and leaving some investors with doubts about his willingness to defend weakening dollar; stresses that nothing he has said should be interpreted as any change in longstanding position of US that strong dollar is good for economy; expresses annoyance that traders routinely read more into his statements about dollar and economy than he intends, simply to generate volatility in markets; says nothing to suggest that he will intervene to stem continuing slide in dollar's value, noting that government action to support currency cannot be effective in long run if it runs counter to collective judgment of financial markets; dollar trades at 127.35 yen, down from 128.57 and 134 yen in early February; euro rises to 90.5 cents, up from 90.03 cents and 85 cents in late January; economists and representatives of business groups and organized labor tell committee after O'Neill's appearance that dollar remains so overvalued that US is having trouble competing internationally, costing jobs and profits at home; National Association of Manufacturers president Jerry Jasinowski comments; photo (M)

Article on dramatic change in auction house rivalry as Sotheby's and Christie's prepare for Impressionist, modern and contemporary art auctions in wake of Sotheby's price-fixing trial; Phillips, once viewed as strong rival, has been forced to cancel spring New York sale; photos (M)