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6h ago

First U.S. 737 Max Crash Damages Trial Opens in Chicago After Last-Minute Settlement

Jurors will decide compensation for UN consultant Shikha Garg’s family after Boeing accepted liability.

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

Overview

  • An eight-person federal jury in Chicago began hearing the first civil damages case from the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 disaster.
  • Just before opening statements, Boeing settled with the family of Mercy Ndivo, and attorneys said two additional cases also settled.
  • The remaining case seeks compensation for Shikha Garg’s husband and parents, with jurors weighing earnings potential, pre-crash trauma, loss of companionship and grief.
  • Boeing’s attorney told jurors the company accepts responsibility and supports significant compensation but disputes the scope of pre-impact injuries and the total award.
  • Separately, the Justice Department has asked a Texas judge to approve a deal to avoid prosecution in exchange for $1.1 billion in payments and safety investments, with about a dozen civil suits still unresolved.