Boeing Settles Lawsuits Over 2019 Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX Crash

Boeing has reached settlements in three lawsuits filed by families of victims who perished in the March 2019 crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The settlements, confirmed by attorney Robert Clifford—who represents the victims’ families—come just as jury selection concluded in one of the cases at the U.S. District Court in Chicago. The specific terms of the agreements remain confidential, and Boeing has yet to issue an official comment regarding the outcome.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, killing all 157 people on board. The tragedy occurred only five months after the Lion Air Flight 610 disaster in Indonesia, which also involved a Boeing 737 MAX and resulted in 189 deaths. Investigations revealed that an automated flight control system, known as MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System), played a key role in both crashes by forcing the aircraft into nosedives that pilots could not override.

The victims in the most recent cases—Mercy Ngami Ndivo, Abdul Jalil Qaid Ghazi Hussein, and Nasrudin Mohammed—had ties to Kenya. Their families are among the many who sought justice and accountability from the U.S. planemaker. Boeing has already resolved more than 90% of the lawsuits stemming from the twin 737 MAX crashes, collectively compensating victims’ families through legal settlements, a deferred prosecution agreement, and other payments totaling billions of dollars.

The 737 MAX disasters marked one of the darkest chapters in Boeing’s history, leading to a worldwide 20-month grounding of its best-selling jet. The incidents not only damaged the company’s reputation but also resulted in financial losses exceeding $20 billion. These latest settlements signal further progress toward closing the legal aftermath of the crashes while Boeing continues efforts to rebuild trust in its aircraft safety and operations.