Boeing reaches agreement in MAX crash

NEW YORK – Beleaguered aviation giant Boeing reached a last-minute settlement Monday with the family of a woman killed in the crash of its 737 MAX jetliner in 2019, averting a federal civil lawsuit.

Three sources close to the case told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that an out-of-court settlement had been reached, but they did not provide details.

157 people died as a result of the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane. The trial was to begin Tuesday in Chicago.

Portraits of the victims of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 were displayed at the memorial ceremony held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 10, 2020. Boeing reached a last-minute settlement with the victims’ families on November 11, 2024. To prevent the conclusion of a civil lawsuit. AFP PHOTO

There were initially six plaintiffs, but so far all but one have reached settlements, according to a source familiar with the case.

Tuesday’s hearing will be held to inform Judge Jorge Alonso, who must approve the deal for it to be formally resolved, the source said.

“This is a damage-only case, so no evidence of Boeing’s liability will be presented,” the source told AFP.

The remaining case involved Indian-born Manisha Nukavarapu, who was on board Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 on March 10, 2019; Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board.

Lawyers for the plaintiff’s family did not respond to AFP’s request for comment.

The initial complaint obtained by AFP said Nukavarapu was in his second year of medical school residency at East Tennessee State University, where he planned to become an endocrinologist.

She had planned to take an Ethiopian Airlines flight to visit her sister in Kenya.

Neglect

A June 2023 court document noted that relatives of 115 victims filed civil complaints against Boeing for wrongful death and negligence, among other things, between April 2019 and March 2021.

According to a source close to the legal proceedings, there were still “30 cases pending on behalf of 29 decedents” as of October 22.

The complaints have been divided into several groups, and the next group is scheduled to go to trial on April 7, 2025.

“Boeing has acknowledged liability publicly and in civil litigation for the MAX crashes because the design of MCAS contributed to these events,” a Boeing lawyer said at the October hearing.

MCAS, a flight stabilization feature, played a role in the Ethiopian Airlines crash and the 737 MAX 8 jet operated by Lion Air, which crashed about 10 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 29, 2018. All 189 people on the plane died.

Following two 737 MAX crashes, the entire 737 MAX fleet was grounded for more than 20 months for authorities to investigate.

More than 90 percent of civil complaints filed regarding the two crashes have been resolved, according to Boeing.

“Boeing has paid billions of dollars to crash families and their attorneys in connection with the civil lawsuit,” Boeing attorney Mark Filip said at the Oct. 11 hearing.