A Brooklyn judge decided that the onetime fiancee of a firefighter killed by the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center will continue to receive half of his pension—$35,000 annually—but said she owes the fireman's parents a "heartfelt apology." The court battle between the family of Kevin Prior and former girlfriend Doreen Noone has been raging since 2003. It was complicated by Noone's mid-case marriage to her slain beau's best friend, NYPD Sgt. Edward Wheeler in 2004.
The judge ruled that since Noone lived with Prior secretly, in the basement of his parents' home, she was officially his domestic partner and legally entitled to a share of his pension. However, the NY Daily news reported that the judge scolded Noone for revealing their co-habitation so insensitively, causing Prior's parents "unnecessary anguish."
"It deeply saddens me that this case ever had to go to court," said Noone in a statement issued by her lawyer Monday. "I continue to mourn the loss of Kevin and hope this decision brings closure to his family and loved ones." Meanwhile, Prior's family is extremely upset over the ruling and planning an appeal.
