A US federal judge has ruled that the deaths of 346 people in two aviation disasters in 2018 and 2019 were the direct result of criminal behaviour on the part of Boeing and its leaders.
US District Judge Reed O’Connor also found that the US Justice Department violated the rights of 346 passengers killed in two crashes when it struck a deal in 2021 that spared Boeing from criminal prosecution.
In a strongly-worded finding, the judge said: “The court finds that the tragic loss of life that resulted from the two airplane crashes was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of Boeing’s conspiracy to defraud the United States.”
Just five months before, on October 28, a 737 Max, operated by Lion Air in Indonesia, crashed moments after leaving Jakarta airport, killing all 189 people on board.
Last year, Boeing was fined $2.5bn by the US Justice Department in a settlement called a deferred prosecution agreement. The deal was widely criticised by relatives because nobody was held to account for the deaths of 346 people.
Some families are seeking prosecution of Boeing and its executives.
