DOJ Told Victims Boeing Won't Face 737 MAX Criminal Charges, Lawyers Say
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Attorneys representing the families of 346 victims killed in two Boeing 737 MAX crashes told Newsweek the U.S. Department of Justice is planning to drop criminal charges against the aircraft manufacturer, calling the move a "prearranged conclusion" and a "slap on the wrist."
During a virtual meeting with Justice Department officials on Friday morning, victims' families were told that prosecutors are considering dropping the criminal case against Boeing, which stems from the 2018 and 2019 crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, according to the victims' lawyers.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Justice for comment on Friday morning.
A Boeing 737 Max is displayed during the International Paris Air Show at the ParisLe Bourget Airport, on June 20, 2023.
A Boeing 737 Max is displayed during the International Paris Air Show at the ParisLe Bourget Airport, on June 20, 2023.
. Photo by Geoffroy Van der Hasselt / AFP) (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images
Paul Cassell, a former federal judge and a professor at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, has been a leading voice for the families.
"Today the Justice Department's Criminal Division held a 'conferral session' but didn't truly confer at all," Cassell said. "Instead, they conveyed their preconceived idea that Boeing should be allowed to escape any real consequences for its deadly lies."
He described the meeting as "bizarre" and warned that any effort to dismiss the case would be met with formal opposition before U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor.
News of the pending deal came the same week Boeing finalized a multibillion-dollar jet order with Qatar Airways during President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East.
This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information is available.
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