Meet one family of 737 Max crash victims seeking federal prosecution against Boeing
PBS NewsHourJUN 25 2024
Reports: DOJ to Criminally Charge Boeing, Seeks Plea Agreement
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The Facts
This week, the US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) will charge Boeing with fraud and ask the aviation giant to accept a plea agreement or face trial, sources with knowledge of the developments told Reuters on Sunday.
The charge relates to two Boeing 737 MAX crashes — a Lion Air flight in 2018 and an Ethiopian Airlines flight in 2019 — that combined killed 346. Boeing settled those cases in 2021, but last month, federal prosecutors recommended new charges — arguing Boeing violated the initial agreement.
According to sources, Boeing will now have until the end of the week to accept the new "nonnegotiable" plea deal — said to include a $487.2M fine and the imposition of an independent regulator that will audit the company's safety and compliance practices for three years.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The US Department of Justice is taking firm action against Boeing for violating the 2021 agreement. That includes a fine of $487.2M as well as the imposition of an independent monitor for three years to make sure safety failures of this magnitude don't take place again.
Establishment-critical narrative
This is a sweetheart plea deal that fails to acknowledge the fact that 346 people died as a result of Boeing's safety failures. This is shameful and the families of the victims deserve much better than this. The US government has failed to provide responsible regulation here.