Boeing Headed to Jury Trial in Criminal Case

On Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Boeing was attempting to withdraw its guilty plea agreement for the criminal case where it was blamed for misleading regulators before two deadly 737 Max aircraft crashes.

The report, which cited “people familiar with the matter,” stated that Boeing is hoping to receive gentler treatment by the Justice Department, which is reviewing several pending criminal cases yet to go to trial under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Changes to the plea deal were expected to be proposed to U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor by April 11, according to The Wall Street Journal.

On Tuesday, however, O’Connor abruptly revoked the remaining time and filed an order for the criminal case to go to jury trial on June 23.

Erin Applebaum, an attorney at Kreindler & Kreindler, which represents 34 families who lost loved ones on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019, emailed a statement to AirlineGeeks regarding the upcoming trial.

“For six years, the families of Boeing’s victims have waited for the justice system to hold Boeing accountable for the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history,” Applebaum said. “Judge O’Connor has now set a trial date, with Boeing’s ongoing refusal to change its behavior appearing to have been the final straw. We urge the Department of Justice to stand on the right side of history, reject any further plea negotiations, and move forward with a full prosecution. The families deserve their day in court, and this opportunity for justice must not be squandered.”

Another federal judge has recently dismissed a civil lawsuit accusing two former Boeing CEOs of being personally liable for the company’s negligence regarding an individual killed in March 2019’s Ethiopian crash.

U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso granted Boeing’s motion to dismiss the claims against former CEOs David Calhoun and Dennis Muilenburg in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on Friday.

First filed in January 2020 by the parents of Samya Stumo, an individual killed in the crash, the lawsuit also accuses Boeing suppliers Rosemount Aerospace and Rockwell Collins of negligence.

According to Friday’s court order obtained by AirlineGeeks, the motion to dismiss the claims of negligence against Calhoun and Muilenburg was approved because plaintiffs did not provide enough factual allegations to support them.

The court found that the claims did not demonstrate the CEOs’ personal participation in or knowledge of Boeing’s alleged negligence. These claims were also seen as too reliant on the CEOs’ positions rather than concrete evidence of their involvement or awareness of risk.

“The court agrees with the CEOs that Plaintiffs have not pointed to sufficient allegations of the CEOs’ active participation in Boeing’s negligence or supporting a reasonable inference of knowledge sufficient to give rise to liability, so the CEOs’ motion to dismiss is granted,” the motion stated.

Additionally, the court found that because Boeing had accepted liability for compensatory damages, punitive damages were not available against the suppliers under laws in Illinois or Washington state, where Boeing is headquartered.

Editor's Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.