Boeing reached a settlement with the families of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crash that occurred in March 2019. This agreement establishes the basis for settling the claims filed against the U.S. aerospace giant.
As the WSJ reports, only two families abstained from signing the agreement – filed last Wednesday before a federal court in the Northern District of Illinois – whereby Boeing «accepted responsibility for the accident» in exchange for the families dropping their pursuit of the manufacturer for punitive damages. While this agreement closes the door on this specific type of claim (which could total hundreds of millions of dollars in a case such as this one) the families of the victims will still be able to file lawsuits against the company seeking compensatory damages. The agreed settlement contains a clause whereby Boeing will «accept liability for the crash of flight ET302» in any subsequent lawsuit brought on this issue.
The families of the 157 who died in the crash claimed that the design had been approved without rigorous oversight of the design, production, and type certification. They also blamed Boeing for failing to ground the plane after the first accident in late 2018, which occurred on a Lion Air flight. The company has already resolved most of the claims filed as a result of the Indonesia-based airline crash.
«This is an important milestone for the families in their quest for justice,» said lawyers representing the victims’ families. This agreement «will ensure that everyone is equally treated.» In addition, they noted that the settlement will hold Boeing «fully liable» for the crash.
