NEW YORK (AP) - Lawyers have agreed to begin trials in 2010 for thousands of workers who say they were not properly protected as they cleaned up the toxic World Trade Center site after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Nearly 8,000 workers claim that they suffered respiratory injuries from toxic fumes and other hazardous conditions working in the smoldering pile of debris left by the collapse of two 110-story towers and sued the city and its contractors.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to grant immunity in the case to the city and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the site, saying it was too early to tell whether evidence would support immunity claims.

The first cases will start May 16, 2010. It's not clear whether the cases will be tried together.