Families of Crash Victims Challenge Boeing Settlement in US Court
VOAMay 04, 2022
On Thursday, federal judge Reed O’Connor ordered Boeing Co. to appear in court on Jan. 26 to be arraigned on a 2021 felony charge after families of the people killed in two crashes rejected a 2021 plea deal.
Boeing and the US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement in 2021 over two 737 MAX airplane crashes. Without involving victims’ family members, the agreement granted Boeing immunity; families say the agreement violated the victims’ rights.
Not only did Boeing commit fraud by misleading regulators about the safety of its aircraft, but it also went behind victims’ backs to strike a deal with the DOJ to gain immunity from criminal prosecution. Victims’ family members are also victims and should have been consulted before Boeing and the DOJ reached their agreement.
While the DOJ and Boeing regret not consulting the family members of crash victims, they had no legal obligation to do so. The government investigated Boeing’s errors and reached an agreement that holds the company accountable and institutes measures to prevent future tragic crashes.