Boeing efficiently evaded being the primary company in American historical past to face legal felony expenses and settled over 90% of the 150+ wrongful dying circumstances following the Boeing 737 MAX crashes. But, a handful of households have continued to carry out in pursuit of forcing the corporate right into a public trial that will convey the accountability they search.
The Seattle Instances simply reported the conclusion of one other case on Wednesday, Might 13. A jury ordered Boeing to pay $49.5 million to the household of Samya Rose Stumo, a 24-year-old US citizen who died when Ethiopian Airways Flight 302 hit the bottom outdoors Addis Ababa. This follows a settlement in November 2025 to the household of Shika Garg for over $28 million.
The Human Toll Of Company Negligence
Credit score: Wikimedia Commons
It was discovered within the aftermath of the crash that Boeing had deceived the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) relating to the maneuvering attribute augmentation software program within the aircraft. They’d additionally not revealed its existence to aircrew, straight inflicting each crashes that killed a complete of 346 individuals.
Boeing initially agreed to plead responsible to a legal cost of conspiracy to defraud the USG in July 2024. Regardless of preliminary statements from the US authorities that indicated legal wrongdoing, the corporate efficiently negotiated a authorized diversion with the Division of Justice final yr after the presiding federal choose, Reed O’Connor, rejected a plea deal in that very same yr.
Shanin Specter and Elizabeth Crawford, attorneys from Kline & Specter who’re representing Stumo’s property, have been quoted by The Seattle as giving this comment on Wednesday:
“We’re gratified for the chance to strive the compensatory damages case.”
The Worth Of Slicing Corners
Credit score: NTSB
So far, Boeing has paid over $3.8 billion in fines, penalties and settlements, together with devoted compensation funds. These funds embrace a protracted checklist of presidency businesses, airways and operators, in addition to the victims’ households. Even so, Boeing stays entangled in lawsuits with victims and even its personal buyers on Wall Road.
After Decide O’Connor rejected the plea association in December 2024, the corporate rapidly modified course to keep away from a public trial. This authorized ‘about face’ coincided with the arrival of Boeing’s new CEO in August 2024, Kelly Ortberg. Under is a abstract of Boeing’s payouts to this point:
Date
Payee
Class
Quantity
Jan 2021
Industrial Airline Shoppers
Grounding operational losses
$1.77 Billion
Jan 2021 to Nov 2025
Crash Victims’ Households
Direct federal compensation funds
$944 Million
Jan 2021 to Nov 2025
US Division of Justice
Prison fraud penalties
$487 Million
Nov 2025
Boeing Inside Operations
Mandated security & compliance spending
$453 Million
Sept 2022
Securities & Alternate Fee
Investor public deception fantastic
$200 Million
Sept 2025
Federal Aviation Administration
High quality management violations fantastic
$3 Million
TOTAL
–
–
$3.857 Billion
In Might 2025, Boeing agreed to a non-prosecution settlement that resulted in greater fines however granted a full dismissal of the case. O’Connor closely criticized the NPA in public and wrote a 10-page judicial order that closely cited the crash sufferer’s household and explicitly said that the deal failed “to safe the mandatory accountability to make sure the security of the flying public.”
Associated
LOT Polish Airways Takes Boeing To Courtroom Regardless of Nonetheless Flying 26 737 MAX Jets
The events concerned within the trial made their opening statements yesterday on the US District Courtroom in Seattle.
Boeing’s Resurgence: Hovering Demand For The 737 MAX
Credit score: Wikimedia Commons
As the corporate clears the authorized scandals which have marred its identify for greater than half a decade because the first jet crashed off the coast of Indonesia, airways and operators around the globe are actually clamoring to get their palms on extra of the jets. The corporate began 2026 robust with 284 web new orders within the first 4 months.
This has been complemented by a rebound in output with first-quarter deliveries that outpaced Airbus for the primary time because the 737 MAX disaster started. The FAA raised the manufacturing quota of the meeting line to 42 per 30 days late final yr, the best because the door plug blew out in 2024.
The corporate is hopeful that the 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 might be licensed this yr, as manufacturing charges enhance. The big backlog of greater than 1,700 MAX 10 jets will strengthen the corporate’s backside line when deliveries start at full fee.
A significant factor in how that is potential is federal oversight. FAA inspectors personally log out on each particular person 737 MAX plane earlier than it leaves the manufacturing facility after the company stripped Boeing of its certification privileges, additional guaranteeing no extra main defects make it to a manufacturing airplane.
