# Resolving The Unresolvable: Kenneth Feinberg

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/original-jurisdiction-5705421/resolving-the-unresolvable-kenneth-feinberg
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/original-jurisdiction-5705421/resolving-the-unresolvable-kenneth-feinberg.md
Podcast: [Original Jurisdiction](https://stenobird.com/podcast/original-jurisdiction-5705421)
Published: 2025-10-30T17:45:28+00:00
Episode link: https://davidlat.substack.com/p/mediator-kenneth-feinberg-special-master-ken-feinberg-podcast-interview
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/177429324/5709b8e1ce0c345a6eac899e9e621127.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/original-jurisdiction-5705421/episodes/resolving-the-unresolvable-kenneth-feinberg
Duration seconds: 3263

## Resource

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidlat.substack.com Welcome to Original Jurisdiction , the latest legal publication by me, David Lat . You can learn more about Original Jurisdiction by reading its About page , and you can email me at davidlat@substack.com. This is a reader-supported publication; you can subscribe by clicking here . Yesterday, Southern California Edison (SCE), the utility whose power lines may have started the devastating Eaton Fire, announced its Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program . Under the program, people affected by the fire can receive hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in compensation, in a matter of months rather than years—but in exchange, they must give up their right to sue. It should come as no surprise that SCE, in designing the program, sought the help of Kenneth Feinberg. For more than 40 years, often in the wake of tragedy or disaster, Feinberg has helped mediate and resolve seemingly intractable crises. He’s most well-known for how he and his colleague Camille Biros designed and administered the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. But he has worked on many other headline-making matters over the years, including the Agent Orange product liability litigation, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust, the multidistrict litigation involving Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer—and now, of course, the Eaton Fire. How did Ken develop such a fascinating and unique practice? What is the most difficult aspect of administering these giant compensation funds? Do these funds represent the wave of the future, as an alternative to (increasingly expensive) litigation? Having just turned 80, does he have any plans to retire? Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ken—the day after his 80th birthday—…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/original-jurisdiction-5705421/episodes/resolving-the-unresolvable-kenneth-feinberg/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/original-jurisdiction-5705421/resolving-the-unresolvable-kenneth-feinberg.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.