According to Manufacturing.net, more than six years after a Boeing 737 Max crashed in Ethiopia killing all 157 people on board, the first civil trial seeking damages is moving forward. Boeing has settled most of the dozens of wrongful death lawsuits filed by victims’ families after the March 2019 crash, but two remaining cases are scheduled to open before a federal court jury as soon as Tuesday. The trial in Chicago won’t examine Boeing’s liability since the company already accepted responsibility for both the Ethiopia crash and a similar Indonesia crash five months earlier that killed 189 people. Instead, an eight-person jury will decide how much Boeing should pay to families of 28-year-old Mercy Ndivo and 36-year-old Shikha Garg. Boeing faces potential prosecution under a Justice Department agreement that would require paying or investing $1.1 billion in fines, victim compensation, and safety measures.
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What’s really at stake here
Here’s the thing – Boeing already admitted responsibility. They’ve settled most cases quietly. So why are these two families taking it to trial? Basically, this isn’t about whether Boeing messed up. Everyone knows they did. This is about putting a price tag on human life in a very public way.
Think about the timing too. It’s been over six years. These families have been waiting while Boeing settled case after case behind closed doors. Now we’re finally going to see what a jury thinks these lives were worth. And that could set a precedent for any future cases that haven’t settled yet.
Boeing’s awkward position
Boeing’s statement says all the right things – “deeply sorry,” “accepted legal responsibility,” respects families’ rights to go to court. But the families’ lawyer says Boeing hasn’t been mediating in good faith. So which is it? Are they genuinely sorry or just going through the motions?
Look, Boeing’s trying to manage this on multiple fronts. There’s the criminal case where they might avoid prosecution by paying up. There’s the civil settlements they’ve already made. And now there’s this public trial that could make them look even worse. It’s a mess.
Why this matters beyond these families
This trial isn’t just about compensation for two families. It’s about corporate accountability in the most literal sense. When a company’s product kills people because of design flaws they hid from regulators, what’s the appropriate consequence? A confidential settlement? A fine? Or having to face a jury of ordinary people?
The fact that this is happening while Boeing’s still dealing with quality control issues today? That’s not great timing for them. It reminds everyone that these weren’t isolated incidents but part of a pattern. And patterns are much harder to explain away than one-time mistakes.
What happens now
Technically, settlements could still happen even after the trial starts. That’s what Boeing’s done before – settle right at the courthouse steps. But if this does go to a verdict, it could change how all future aviation liability cases get handled.
Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long to get here. Six years is an eternity for families waiting for closure. The fact that we’re finally seeing a public airing of what these lives were worth? That’s significant. And probably pretty uncomfortable for Boeing’s legal team.
