BREAKING NEWS: Boeing pleads NOT GUILTY in Texas court to deceiving regulators about ‘issues’ with 737 Max’s control system that led to two plane crashes that killed 346 people
- Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has pleaded not guilty to charges charges the manufacturer deceived federal authorities over the safety of its 737 MAX jets
- Boeing’s chief safety officer, Mike Delaney, entered the not-guilty Thursday
- The plea comes after families of 350 killed in the two high profile crashes rejected a plea deal, called for more transparency on safety from the company
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has pleaded not guilty to charges the manufacturer deceived federal authorities over the safety of its 737 MAX jets following two high-profile crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Boeing’s chief safety officer, Mike Delaney, entered the not-guilty plea on behalf of the plane-maker in an arraignment Thursday. A not-guilty plea is standard in deferred prosecution agreements.
US District Judge Reed O’Connor last week ordered Boeing to appear to be arraigned after he ruled that people killed in the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes are legally considered ‘crime victims.’
The ruling marks the first time the company has been forced to publicly answer to a criminal charge connected to the 2018 and 2019 disasters, which occurred in Indonesia and Ethiopia, respectively.
The aircraft manufacturer pleaded not guilty to charges charges the manufacturer deceived federal authorities over the safety of its 737 MAX jet following two crashes in 2018 and 2019
The not-guilty plea from the manufacturer comes after families of 350 killed in the two high profile crashes called for increased transparency on the safety of the bestselling jet. Pictured are family members and their attorney Paul Cassell (center) outside the hearing in Forth Worth
The two crashes killed a total of 346 people, and left all Max jets grounded worldwide for nearly two years. They also cost Boeing more than $20 billion, and led to a 20-month grounding for the best-selling plane.
The planes, however, were cleared to fly again in 2021, after Boeing overhauled an automated flight-control system that activated erroneously in both crashes, after promising to look into the plane’s safety issues.
Families of the nearly 350 killed in crashes, one of which transpired in 2018 in Indonesia and another in 2019 in Ethiopia, objected to a plea deal last week, and are calling for O’Connor name an independent body to oversee Boeing’s compliance.
They are also demanding the judge impose a standard condition that Boeing commit no new crimes, and disclose to the public, as much as possible, of the moves its corporate compliance office have adopted to avoid such incidents.
Under a controversial deal reached in 2021, the Justice Department had agreed not to prosecute the company for conspiracy to defraud the government, granting it legal immunity.
Families of the victims quickly spoke out against the decision, however, demanding justice for the victims. Both Boeing and the DOJ opposed reopening the agreement.
Under a deal reach in 2021, the Justice Department had agreed not to prosecute the company for conspiracy to defraud the government. Families of the nearly 350 victims quickly spoke out against the decision, culminating in the current lawsuit
Relatives of crash victims mourn at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger jet crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 on board. Families have since challenged a massive $2.5b settlement reached in 2021 that granted the company immunity
In a court filing in November, following more than a year of backlash, the Justice Department said it did not oppose an arraignment for Boeing, but said undoing the agreement ‘would impose serious hardships on the parties and the many victims who have received compensation.’
Boeing, however, said that it opposes any efforts to reopen the agreement, calling it ‘unprecedented, unworkable and inequitable.’
It comes as the Arlington, Virginia-based plane manufacturer has doled out $500million in victim compensation to the families, as well a $243.6million fine and $1.7billion in further compensation to airlines grounded the disasters. The total settlement amounted to $2.5billion.
The Arlington, Virginia-based plane manufacturer declined to comment when reached by DailyMail.com.
Forensic teams and workers are pictured on March 12, 2019, recovering wreckage from a Boeing Max flight that crashed outside of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia
Indonesian inspectors are seen at the site of the Lion Air Flight crash in November 2018
In a brief filed Wednesday, lawyers representing the relatives of some of the passengers killed in the two crashes accused the company of the ‘deadliest corporate crime in US history.’
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