On Monday, the aeronautics giant Boeing reached an amicable agreement with the beneficiaries of a victim of the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8, which occurred in March 2019. This last minute agreement made it possible to avoid the opening of a federal civil trial scheduled for Tuesday in Chicago, according to sources close to the case contacted by AFP.
The agreement, the details of which were not disclosed, puts an end to a complaint filed in April 2019 by the relatives of Manisha Nukavarapu, an Indian national and medical intern at East Tennessee State University. The latter had died in the accident which occurred shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, while she was going to Nairobi to visit her sister. According to the complaint obtained by AFP, the young woman, single and without children, aspired to become an endocrinologist.
A lawsuit focused solely on compensation
The trial which was to open did not relate to Boeing's liability but only to the amount of compensation to be paid to the victims' families. “No element of Boeing’s responsibility [devait] be presented there,” explained a judicial source. Testimonies from friends and family members were to illustrate the impact of the disappearance of Manisha Nukavarapu.
Other hearings planned as part of this drama were canceled for similar reasons. According to a court document from June 2023, 155 complaints were filed by relatives of the victims between April 2019 and March 2021 for “wrongful death” and “negligence”. As of October 22, 30 complaints remained open.
Boeing admits responsibility for crashes
Boeing has publicly acknowledged that flaws in the design of MCAS anti-stall software contributed to the crash of Ethiopian Airlines and the crash of a Lion Air 737 Max 8 in Indonesia in October 2018, where 189 people also died. . “Boeing accepted responsibility for the MAX crashes publicly and in civil proceedings,” recalled a lawyer for the manufacturer during a recent hearing.
According to Boeing, more than 90% of civil claims linked to these accidents have been settled, involving the payment of “several billions of dollars” in compensation. This includes compensation paid in federal criminal proceedings in Texas. Concerning the Lion Air crash, only one civil complaint remains pending.
A criminal aspect still pending
At the same time, Boeing is involved in a separate criminal proceeding. In January 2021, the company signed a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice. However, that deal was undermined by a series of quality issues, including an incident on an Alaska Airlines flight in January 2024. The manufacturer has since agreed to a plea deal, still awaiting court approval. Texan.
The next civil trial concerning one of the 737 Max model crashes is scheduled for April 2025, unless a new amicable agreement is signed by then.
