Boeing ordered to pay $28 million to family of 737 MAX crash victim
A U.S. federal jury has ordered Boeing to pay more than $28 million to the family of Shikha Garg, a United Nations environmental worker killed in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash.
The verdict, delivered in a Chicago court, marks the first jury decision among dozens of lawsuits stemming from the two deadly 737 MAX crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia that killed 346 people in total, News.az reports, citing Reuters.
Under a deal reached shortly after the verdict, Garg’s family will receive $35.85 million, which includes 26% interest. Boeing confirmed it will not appeal the ruling.
In a statement, the company expressed its condolences, saying it remains “deeply sorry to all who lost loved ones on the two flights.” Boeing added that while most claims have been resolved through settlements, it respects families’ right to seek justice in court.
Attorneys Shanin Specter and Elizabeth Crawford, representing Garg’s family, called the verdict “a moment of public accountability for Boeing’s wrongful conduct.”
Garg, 32, was traveling from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Nairobi, Kenya, when Flight 302 crashed minutes after takeoff. The lawsuit argued that the 737 MAX was defectively designed and that Boeing failed to warn the public about its risks.
The Ethiopian Airlines crash occurred just five months after the Lion Air Flight 610 disaster in Indonesia. Investigations later revealed that an automated flight control system contributed to both tragedies.
Boeing has since settled over 90% of related lawsuits, paying billions in compensation through settlements and legal agreements. Earlier this month, the company resolved three additional lawsuits from families of other Ethiopian Airlines crash victims, though details of those settlements were not disclosed.
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