Boeing Settles With Canadian Father Ahead of 737 MAX Crash Trial

Boeing has reached a confidential settlement with Paul Njoroge, a Toronto man who lost his entire family in the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash involving a Boeing 737 MAX. The tragedy claimed the lives of his wife, three children—aged six, four, and nine months—and his mother-in-law.

The trial was scheduled to begin Monday in the U.S. District Court in Chicago and would have been the first jury trial stemming from the twin 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people combined. Boeing previously avoided trial in April by settling with families of two other victims from the same flight.

Boeing declined to comment on the recent settlement. The company has resolved over 90% of civil lawsuits related to the crashes, paying billions through settlements and a deferred prosecution agreement.

The 737 MAX disasters led to a 20-month global grounding of Boeing’s best-selling aircraft and have cost the planemaker more than $20 billion in legal, regulatory, and reputational damage.

Njoroge’s attorney, Robert Clifford, is set to represent the families of six additional victims in a separate trial scheduled for November 3.

Earlier this month, Boeing and the U.S. Department of Justice requested court approval for a plea deal that would allow Boeing to avoid felony conviction. The agreement stems from a 2024 criminal fraud charge accusing Boeing of misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 MAX's flight control system, which was a key factor in both crashes. The plea deal has drawn backlash from victims’ families, as it would also shield Boeing from independent monitoring for three years.

The settlement highlights the ongoing legal and ethical scrutiny surrounding Boeing’s 737 MAX and its accountability for one of aviation’s most tragic failures.