Boeing faces a $35.8 million verdict in the first civil trial for the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crash, exposing six years of corporate accountability failures that put profits over passenger safety.
Story Highlights
- Federal jury awards $28 million to family of U.N. consultant killed in 2019 Boeing 737 Max crash.
- Total payout reaches $35.8 million, including additional settlements and interest charges.
- First civil trial reveals Boeing’s deceptive practices regarding faulty flight-control systems.
- Justice Department dismisses criminal case despite Boeing’s admitted conspiracy to defraud regulators.
Jury Delivers Justice After Six Years of Delays
A Chicago federal jury awarded $28 million to the family of Shikha Garg, a United Nations consultant killed in the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash. The verdict came after just two hours of deliberation, marking the first civil trial from the disaster that claimed 157 lives.
Boeing will pay an additional $3.45 million to Garg’s husband through a separate agreement, plus 26% interest, bringing the total to $35.8 million for one family alone.
Boeing must pay $28M to family of UN consultant killed in Ethiopia crash, jury rules https://t.co/ymFAMUffaa pic.twitter.com/y4T1EV6ImB
— New York Post (@nypost) November 13, 2025
Corporate Deception Exposed in Court
The trial revealed Boeing’s systematic deception regarding its Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which caused both the Ethiopian Airlines and earlier Lion Air crashes.
Prosecutors charged Boeing with conspiracy to defraud government regulators about this flight-control system that repeatedly pitched aircraft noses down based on faulty single-sensor readings.
Boeing engineers and test pilots had expressed concerns about the dangerous system, yet the company never fixed the problems before certification.
Government Accountability Failures Continue
Despite Boeing’s admitted fraud, a Texas federal judge approved the Justice Department’s request to dismiss the long-running criminal case. Boeing will pay only $1.1 billion in additional fines and investments, a fraction of the company’s revenue.
This lenient treatment mirrors the FAA’s original failure, as a 2020 House Transportation Committee report found the agency “failed to ensure the safety of the traveling public” by certifying a “demonstratively unsafe” aircraft.
Pattern of Corporate Irresponsibility
Boeing’s criminal plea deal covers only the two deadly crashes, leaving the company vulnerable to prosecution for other incidents like the Alaska Airlines panel blowout in January 2024.
The aircraft manufacturer has settled most wrongful death lawsuits confidentially, with fewer than a dozen cases remaining unresolved.
This approach allows Boeing to avoid public accountability while families suffer from preventable tragedies caused by corporate greed, prioritizing profits over passenger safety.
