Families of 737 Max crash victims urge DOJ to reject deal with Boeing: Bloomberg

The families of victims killed in the two fatal Boeing (NYSE:BA) 737 Max crashes are pressing the U.S. Justice Department to pursue a criminal trial against the aerospace giant rather than finalize a proposed agreement that would shield it from prosecution, Bloomberg News reported Thursday.

In a letter sent Thursday, attorney Paul Cassell, representing the victims’ families, described the reported nonprosecution agreement being considered as “deeply flawed” and warned it would amount to a “miscarriage of justice.” He urged the department to abandon settlement talks and move forward with the criminal case, which is scheduled for trial on June 23 in a Texas federal court.

“Rather than engage in further discussions about a pre-trial resolution, the Department should simply take the case to trial,” Cassell wrote, adding a request for a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to discuss the matter further.

Meeting with family members

According to court filings, federal prosecutors met with family members last Friday to outline their options, which include a potential plea deal, filing new charges such as criminal conspiracy, or pursuing the case at trial. A final decision has yet to be announced, and any resolution would require approval from U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, who is overseeing the proceedings.

Cassell said in his letter that the families will formally challenge any proposed nonprosecution agreement in court.

Victims’ families have long maintained that Boeing (NYSE:BA) and its executives should be held criminally accountable for design flaws tied to the 2018 and 2019 crashes that killed 346 people. To date, the only employee to face trial, a former manager responsible for pilot manuals, was acquitted.

Renewed scrutiny of safety

Back in 2021, Boeing struck a deal with the Justice Department to defer prosecution on a charge that it misled regulators about the MCAS system, which played a central role in both crashes. That agreement, along with Boeing’s (BA) guilty plea, was nearing expiration when a separate in-flight safety incident triggered renewed scrutiny into the company’s manufacturing standards.

In May of last year, federal prosecutors concluded Boeing (BA) had breached its earlier agreement and recommended criminal charges. The company reportedly agreed to plead guilty, pay penalties, and appoint an independent monitor as part of a plea arrangement. The proposed deal would have also included $455 million in safety and compliance investments.

However, Judge O’Connor rejected that plea deal, criticizing its limited oversight role for the court and objecting to provisions related to how the independent monitor would be selected—specifically language referencing diversity and inclusion criteria.

Since then, Boeing (BA) and prosecutors have continued discussions to reach a revised plea agreement. According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, Boeing (BA) attempted to withdraw its guilty plea in March. A day later, Judge O’Connor set the June trial date without elaborating on the decision.

The Justice Department has said it is still evaluating how to proceed, Bloomberg News reported.