Kathmandu. The families of two people killed in the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max crash in March 2019 have reached a settlement with the families of the victims, lawyers for the company and the families said on Monday, ahead of a verdict in a lawsuit filed by the families of victims Antoine Lewis and Darcy Belanger. The terms of the settlement with the families of victims Antoine Lewis and Darcy Belanger have not been made public. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, was expected to be the first against the planemaker in two deadly 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. Both crashes cost Boeing more than $20 billion in damages after its best-selling plane was grounded for 20 months.
Boeing agreed in 2021 to accept liability for damages to the families of the 157 people killed in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash. The families agreed not to seek punitive damages against Boeing.
39-year-old Lewis was a captain in the US Army and was traveling to Africa to explore opportunities to start a food business. Another passenger, Belanger, 46, of Denver, Colorado, was flying to the United Nations Environment Assembly, where he was scheduled to give a speech.
The planemaker said it has settled more than 90 percent of claims from the two 737 Max crashes and has paid billions of dollars in compensation to families through lawsuits, deferred prosecution agreements and other payments. Two other trials are now scheduled for July and November.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said last week that the planemaker is in talks with the Justice Department to reach an amended plea agreement in a criminal fraud case stemming from the planemaker’s alleged misrepresentations to regulators about key safety systems on the 737 Max.
Boeing pleaded guilty in July to criminal fraud conspiracy charges and agreed to pay a fine of up to $4.48 billion. A judge has set a June 23 trial date for the case if no final agreement is reached.
