Boeing reached pre-trial settlements with family members of two Americans killed in the March 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX jet, according to the plaintiffs’ attorneys. The trial had been scheduled to begin on Monday, April 7.
The terms of the settlement with the families of Antoine Lewis and Darcy Belanger were not released.
Two separate trials with other victims’ families are scheduled now for July and November.
The Ethiopian Airlines crash was the second of two involving Boeing’s 737 MAX jets, which precipitated a 19-month shutdown of the program during 2019-2020 as the causes were determined and corrected.
Together with the October 2018 crash of a Lion Air 737 MAX, the number passengers and crew members killed was 346.
Boeing made a $2.5-billion settlement with the U.S. Dept. of Justice in 2021, including $500 million for crash victim beneficiaries and $1.77 billion in compensation for 737 MAX airline customers. The deal also included a $243.6 million criminal penalty.
But in that deal Boeing avoided prosecution over fraud charges resulting from the investigation into the 737 MAX certification, in 2017.
Last year the DOJ charged Boeing with violating the settlement, a result of the investigation into the mid-air failure of a door plug on an Alaska Airlines 787 MAX.
The 2021 agreement was tossed aside by a federal court when Boeing accepted fraud charges and a penalty of up to $487.2 million.
Recently, Boeing CEO Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company is negotiating a new plea agreement to resolve criminal charges surrounding its statements to federal regulators regarding the safety provisions for the 737 MAX.
