Victims' Lawyer Accuses US Government of Offering Boeing a 'Sweetheart Deal'

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A lawyer representing the families of victims from two fatal Boeing 737 Max crashes has accused the US government of preparing to offer the plane maker a "sweetheart plea deal." Paul Cassell, who claims to have received the information directly from the Justice Department, stated that the proposed deal includes a small fine, three years of probation, and independent safety audits for Boeing. When approached by the BBC, Boeing did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and the Justice Department (DoJ) declined to provide a statement.

 

 

This accusation comes at a time when Boeing announced an agreement to purchase the aerospace supplier Spirit AeroSystems, a move the company claims will enhance quality and safety. Spirit AeroSystems was responsible for manufacturing the fuselage that experienced a mid-flight blowout on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet in January, causing widespread concerns about Boeing's standards.

 

Paul Cassell expressed strong disapproval of the proposed plea deal, asserting that "the memory of 346 innocents killed by Boeing demands more justice than this" and adding that "families will strenuously object to this plea deal." The plane crashes, which involved Boeing's 737 Max aircraft, occurred within six months of each other. The first crash, involving Indonesia's Lion Air, happened in October 2018, followed by an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March 2019. Both crashes were linked to faulty flight control systems and resulted in the deaths of 346 people.

 

In response to these tragedies, US prosecutors last month recommended that the DoJ bring criminal charges against Boeing. This recommendation came after the DoJ announced that Boeing had violated a 2021 settlement related to the crashes. Under the 2021 deal, Boeing acknowledged that it had misled air-safety regulators about aspects of the 737 Max and agreed to create a new compliance system to detect and prevent further fraud. As part of this agreement, Boeing agreed to a $2.5 billion settlement, and prosecutors committed to asking the court to drop a criminal charge after three years if the company adhered to specific conditions set out in the deferred prosecution agreement.

 

However, in May, the DoJ stated that Boeing had breached this agreement, claiming that the company had failed to "design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the US fraud laws throughout its operations." The Justice Department has until July 7 to decide whether to revive the criminal fraud charge brought against Boeing in 2021. This charge has been dormant since the company entered the settlement agreement, which required it to implement measures to prevent further fraud.

 

A letter sent by Paul Cassell to the DoJ last month revealed that the families of the victims had been seeking prosecutions of Boeing's top executives at the time of the crashes and a fine of $24.8 billion, which they argue is appropriate for "the deadliest corporate crime in US history." The families' demand for justice underscores the gravity of the crashes and their belief that Boeing's actions warrant severe penalties and accountability for those at the highest levels of the company.

 

The controversy surrounding Boeing and the proposed plea deal highlights ongoing concerns about corporate accountability and the enforcement of regulations designed to protect public safety. As the Justice Department considers its next steps, the families of the victims and their legal representatives continue to push for more stringent measures and greater transparency in addressing the failures that led to the tragic crashes of the 737 Max aircraft.

 

Credit: BBC 2024-07-02

 

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[Smokey and the Bandit]

It's always the same with these huge corporations like Boeing, no person is ever held accountable and goes to prison, same as the Deep Water Horizon, that caused all that damage. OK they get to pay a big fine, but that's it!

[john donson]

saw the ceo on a video, no shame, he almost doubled his salary despite bad numbers, to 32.000.000 US DOLLAR

[ThaiFelix]

2 hours ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

It's always the same with these huge corporations like Boeing, no person is ever held accountable and goes to prison, same as the Deep Water Horizon, that caused all that damage. OK they get to pay a big fine, but that's it!

US interests come first, the victims are only people.  Look at the opioid epidemic and mass deaths caused by Purdue Pharma telling patients Oxy was not addictive.  They made a billion but were fined 1 million.  That clearly promotes corruption because money was made, forget about the lives.