Boeing Reaches Settlement With Canadian Father Who Lost Family In 737 MAX Crash
Boeing has reached a settlement with Paul Njoroge, a Canadian man who lost his entire family in the 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX aircraft. The settlement was confirmed by Njoroge’s legal representative on Friday, just days before the matter was scheduled for trial in a US federal court in Chicago.
Njoroge, aged 41 and a resident of Toronto, was set to become the first plaintiff to bring Boeing to trial over the two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed a total of 346 people, reported Reuters.
He lost his wife Carolyne, their three children—six-year-old Ryan, four-year-old Kellie, and nine-month-old Rubi—as well as his mother-in-law in the March 2019 tragedy. The terms of the agreement between Njoroge and Boeing have not been publicly disclosed.
The trial, slated to begin Monday, would have marked a major moment in the legal aftermath of the crashes. Boeing also avoided trial earlier in April by reaching a separate settlement with the families of two other victims from the same incident.
Over 90 Per Cent of Crash Lawsuits Now Resolved
Boeing has settled more than 90 per cent of civil lawsuits related to the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines disasters. These resolutions have included various forms of compensation—ranging from individual settlements to a deferred prosecution agreement with the US government—amounting to billions of dollars.
The company continues to face legal scrutiny, with another trial scheduled for 3 November. Njoroge’s attorney, Robert Clifford, is expected to represent the families of six more victims in that proceeding.
The crashes led to a 20-month global grounding of the 737 MAX, Boeing’s best-selling aircraft, and inflicted more than $20 billion in financial damage to the company.
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Controversy Surrounds US Plea Deal
Earlier this month, Boeing and the US Justice Department jointly requested a judge’s approval for a plea agreement that would allow the planemaker to avoid criminal prosecution. The proposal has sparked backlash from some victims’ families, who object to the deal on the grounds that it permits Boeing to evade stricter accountability measures.
Under the 2024 plea agreement, Boeing would avoid being formally labelled a convicted felon and would not be subjected to independent oversight for a three-year period. The agreement is tied to a criminal fraud charge in which Boeing admitted to misleading regulators regarding a critical flight control system on the 737 MAX that contributed to both crashes.
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