Boeing settles Ethiopia 737 MAX crash, to compensate victims

Boeing has settled its case related to Ethiopia Airlines' plane crash in 2019. On Wednesday, the American aerospace company agreed to acknowledge its liability for compensatory damages in lawsuits filed by the families of passengers who perished in the tragedy.

In the filing at the U.S. District Court in Chicago, the suit filed by the relatives of 157 victims of the Boeing 737 MAX was settled and according to Reuters, this happened after the planemaker and the families were able to reach an agreement.

As agreed upon by both parties, the lawyers of the plane crash victims will not ask for punitive damages, and Boeing in turn will not challenge the suits that are being filed against it in Illinois. The legal representatives for the victims said in a statement that under the agreement, the Chicago, Illinois headquartered company also admitted its 737 MAX involved in the doomed flight was in an unsafe condition "and it will not attempt to blame anyone else for the crash."

"This is a significant milestone for the families in their pursuit of justice against Boeing, as it will ensure they are all treated equitably and eligible to recover full damages under Illinois law while creating a pathway for them to proceed to a final resolution whether through settlements or trial," the lawyers commented. "The compensation will serve to hold Boeing fully accountable for the deaths of the 157 people who perished."

As for Boeing, it said it is committed to making sure that all the relatives who lost their family member/s in the crash would be fully and fairly compensated for their loss. The company went on to say that by accepting responsibility for the accident, its agreement with the families lets the parties focus on ascertaining the proper compensation for each of the families.

Finally, CNBC noted that there is no monetary compensation involved in the agreement between Boeing and the families. However, it allows the victims' families to seek individual claims in U.S. courts including those who are not Americans.