On Wednesday, the families of 346 victims who died in two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes stated that a U.S. judge should reject the plea deal between the aircraft manufacturer and the Department of Justice, and demand the government seek higher fines.
On July 24th, Boeing Company finalized an agreement to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge and pay up to $487 million in fines after violating a deferred prosecution agreement from 2021.
Paul Cassell, an attorney representing some of the victims' families, stated in court documents that the fines were "inadequate or at least based on misleading and inaccurate accounting data." He added that the fines "failed to reflect that Boeing's crimes led to the deaths of 346 innocent victims." Cassell described this decision as "not only inaccurate but also morally reprehensible."
Another attorney representing the victims' families, Adrian Wukoivic, stated in a separate document: "We suggest that Boeing should pay a considerable fine that reflects the value of each of the 346 victims, the severe harm caused to others, and that this fine should be consistent with those imposed on other corporate criminal defendants."
The victims’ families cited a statement from O’Connor’s ruling in February 2023: "Boeing’s crimes can be considered as the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history."
Spokespersons for Boeing and the Department of Justice did not immediately comment on the families' filings.
