As noted in earlier posts here, here, and here, I represent some of the families who lost loved ones in the crashes of two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. This short post provides a quick update on the latest developments, as in the next few weeks the Justice Department will make important decisions about Boeing's prosecution. My families seek aggressive prosecution of what has properly been described as the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history.
Here's a quick recap of the current situation: Following a criminal investigation by the Justice Department, in January 2021, Boeing admitted that it concealed safety issues with the aircraft from the FAA—and negotiated a secret deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) apparently resolving its criminal liability for its deadly conspiracy to defraud the FAA. In the DPA, Boeing committed to undertaking efforts to improve its corporate compliance with regulatory and safety obligations.
But since then, in October 2022, the district judge handling the case (Judge Reed O'Connor in the Northern District of Texas) has concluded that the 346 families who lost family members in the crashes represent "crime victims" and that their Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) rights were violated by the Department secretly negotiating the DPA.
