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2h ago

Chicago Jury Awards $28.45 Million to Family of Ethiopian 737 MAX Crash Victim

A pre-verdict agreement secures $35.85 million with interest, eliminating any appeal.

FILE - Wreckage is piled at the crash scene of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 near Bishoftu, Ethiopia, March 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene, File)
FILE - In this March 11, 2019, file photo, rescuers work at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight crash near Bishoftu, Ethiopia. Pilot Bernd Kai von Hoesslin pleaded with his bosses for more training on the Boeing Max, just weeks before the Ethiopian Airline's jet crashed, killing everyone on board. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene, File)
FILE - Candles are lit on a memorial wall during an anniversary service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 8, 2020, to remember those who died in the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crash. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene, File)
People hold a banner with pictures of victims of crashed Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 Boeing 737 MAX 8 during Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing about Boeing’s commitment to address safety concerns in the wake of a January 2024 mid-air emergency involving a new 737 MAX, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo

Overview

  • The verdict is the first public U.S. civil damages award stemming from the two fatal 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people.
  • Jurors assessed damages only because Boeing had accepted responsibility, awarding categories that included $10 million for grief and $10 million for Shikha Garg’s pain and suffering.
  • Attorneys said the parties struck the agreement the morning of the verdict, raising recovery to the full amount plus 26% interest and foreclosing appellate challenges.
  • Garg, a 32-year-old United Nations consultant traveling to a Nairobi environmental meeting, died when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed minutes after takeoff in March 2019.
  • Most related wrongful-death suits have been settled confidentially, and a Texas judge recently dismissed the DOJ’s criminal case under a $1.1 billion resolution for fines, victim compensation and safety spending.