A federal court in Texas has heard arguments on the US government’s motion to dismiss its criminal case against Boeing in connection with the two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jetliners that killed 346 people. The hearing, which lasted about three hours, allowed relatives of the victims to speak and present their case. Some family members traveled from Europe and Africa to attend the hearing and demand that the company face prosecution for the crashes that occurred off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia.
The US District Chief Judge, Reed O’Connor, set aside time for the relatives to speak during the hearing. One of the relatives, Nadia Milleron, whose 24-year-old daughter was among the 157 passengers and crew members killed in the Ethiopia crash, stated that her daughter died on a new airplane that was defective and in operation because of non-compliance with regulations and fraud. Milleron emphasized that she does not want any other family to lose their loved ones due to this kind of fraud.
Boeing is charged with conspiracy to defraud the government, a felony. Prosecutors alleged that the company deceived Federal Aviation Administration regulators about a flight-control system that was later implicated in the fatal flights. The crashes occurred less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019. The judge said he would issue his decision on the dismissal motion at a later date.
The hearing comes more than four years after the Justice Department announced it had charged Boeing and reached a $2.5 billion settlement with the aircraft maker. However, prosecutors revived the charge last year after deciding that the company had violated certain terms of the agreement. Boeing had decided to plead guilty as part of a different agreement, but the judge rejected that deal in December, citing concerns over diversity policies and the selection of an independent monitor.
In late May, the two sides struck a new deal that takes both the criminal charge and Boeing’s guilty plea off the table. In exchange, Boeing will pay or invest another $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for the crash victims’ families, and internal safety and quality measures. The Justice Department said it offered those terms in light of significant changes Boeing has made to its quality control and anti-fraud programs since last summer.
Some families of victims worry that the pending agreement would allow Boeing to escape justice, while others support resolving the case before it reaches trial. The Justice Department has asked the judge to leave open the possibility of refiling the conspiracy charge if the company does not hold up its end of the deal over the next two years. The outcome of the case will be closely watched, as it has significant implications for the aviation industry and the accountability of companies involved in major disasters.