Latest news with #737-MAX
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. lawyer and son-in-law of Tom Girardi pleads guilty to contempt of court
Days after a judge sentenced legal titan Tom Girardi to seven years in prison for stealing from clients, his son-in-law — formerly a high-ranking attorney at his now-defunct firm — pleaded guilty to a federal charge in Illinois. David Lira, 65, of Pasadena, admitted Thursday to one count of contempt of court for defying a Chicago judge's order concerning the distribution of settlement funds to clients whose relatives had perished in a 2018 Indonesian plane crash. As part of broader litigation to hold Boeing accountable for defects in its 737-MAX jets, Lira and Girardi negotiated payouts totaling $7.5 million for a group of widows and orphans in 2020. But the clients, who lived in Indonesia, did not receive their full settlements. Evidence would later emerge that Girardi was routinely using client money to underwrite a lavish lifestyle with his wife, 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star Erika Jayne. Lira 'knew that Girardi did not pay the Lion Air Clients' settlement funds in full, in contravention of [U.S. District] Judge (Thomas) Durkin's orders, despite [the Indonesian clients'] inquiries about and demands for their Settlements,' according to a plea agreement filed Thursday. Durkin referred the case for criminal investigation, and prosecutors in Chicago filed wire fraud and other charges against Lira and Girardi in 2021. Prosecutors dropped the Chicago-based case against Girardi, 86, last month. Girardi was separately convicted of wire fraud last year in Los Angeles, resulting in the seven-year prison sentence handed down this week. Lira, who is married to Girardi's daughter Jacqueline, began working at his father-in-law's firm in 1999. He was sometimes called the firm's senior partner, though Girardi was the sole owner. Lira resigned from Girardi Keese about six months before its 2020 collapse, after confronting his father-in-law about the Lion Air case and demanding that Girardi pay the victims. As he moved on to another firm, Lira did not alert the victims or authorities about Girardi's mishandling of the money. Lira's defense attorney, Damon Cheronis, noted that 'the plea agreement did not assert any acts of fraud on the part of Mr. Lira.' 'Mr. Lira continually asked Mr. Girardi to pay these clients their rightful settlement money pursuant to the court order, however Girardi did not,' Cheronis said in a statement. Lira is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 8. Prosecutors have not yet recommended a particular penalty, but they indicated in the plea agreement that under federal sentencing guidelines, Lira faces six to eight years in prison. Girardi and Lira represented the victims in the Lion Air crash alongside Chicago-based lawyer Jay Edelson. It was ultimately Edelson who brought to the judge's attention that the Indonesian clients were not paid by Girardi. 'We're pleased that David Lira, after years of portraying himself as an innocent bystander, has finally admitted he is a criminal,' Edelson told The Times on Thursday. 'We remain hopeful that the other criminals who helped Girardi pull off the largest Ponzi scheme in the history of the plaintiff's bar will also face disbarment and long prison sentences.' The widows and orphans ultimately received their settlement payments after Edelson's insurance provider agreed to foot the cost. The State Bar is pursuing disciplinary action against Lira and two other attorneys who worked at Girardi Keese. Lira continues to practice for a Century City law firm, though restrictions imposed by a bar court judge prohibit him from handling client money.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
747s Are Nearly Gone, But These Airlines Still Fly Them
The Boeing 747 was a landmark in the history of commercial aviation, a "moonshot" project from the storied company that made long-distance travel affordable and accessible to the masses. Four jet engines gave it a range that nothing else could match at the time. A wider body meant that it could fit in two aisles, allowing for a much larger passenger capacity. And of course, it had that famous upper deck, allowing people to experience "upstairs" for the first time in the air. It remains one of the most instantly recognizable and iconic airframes in the world. But as all good legends do, it's also fading into myth. The very last 747 was completed and delivered in 2023, and fewer and fewer of them are piloted anymore. In fact, the odds are pretty good that you've already flown on a 747 for the last time -- if you ever flew on one at all. However, a few airlines are still firing up all four engines on the veteran plane, specifically Lufthansa (Germany), Korean Airlines (South Korea), Air China (China), Rossiya Airlines (Russia), Max Air (Nigeria), and Mahan Air (Iran). So keep an eye out the next time you're looking out an airport window; you just might spot one. Read more: These Should Be The Next Mail Trucks When The Post Office Gets Privatized The 747 Has Been Replaced A 787 in flight - Filedimage/Getty Images Nothing lasts forever, and neither has the 747. Improvements in engine technology have enabled twin-engine aircraft to go farther and farther, rivaling the range of the four-engine 747. Fewer engines means less fuel, which is both cheaper (good) and less polluting (better). That, in turn, has shifted passenger expectations away from the old hub-and-spoke airport model and towards non-stop flights. If your smaller aircraft now has the range to just go directly where you want, why would you bother with a layover? The knock-on effect of this point-to-point travel was that there were fewer passengers per flight (since you didn't have people with different final destinations on the same layover flight), which also pushed the industry towards smaller-capacity aircraft. Internally, Boeing has several heirs to the 747 throne: the smaller 737-MAX (which has been haunted, sometimes fatally, by all sorts of issues) and the jumbo 777 and 787 Dreamliner (pictured), all of which are twin-engine. Over at rival Airbus, the A350 is another wide-body long-range aircraft, also with two engines. The double-decker design, sadly, is no longer in active production anywhere, nor are four-engine passenger planes of any kind. You will have to make due with one measly floor and two measly engines on any future plane. Beyond Passenger Airlines Air Force One in flight - Brianekushner/Getty Images In addition to passenger 747s, Boeing also produced a huge number of cargo 747s, many of which are still flying for various shipping companies. So, you might be able to spot a 747 over in the freighter terminals of an airport. Many governments still use 747s as their head of state's airplane, most famously the one used by the United States of America itself: Air Force One. There are actually two identical Air Force One planes, which are heavily modified versions of old 747-200Bs -- although they are scheduled to be replaced by modified 747-8s soon. They ought to have the distinction of being the last aircraft ever to be built on the 747 frame. For that matter, the U.S. Air Force also operates four militarized 747s as "doomsday planes," which are essentially airborne command and control centers. So if our worst nuclear fears are ever realized, the government and military will still be able to conduct a war from a fully operational situation room... with wings. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
