Relatives of the victims of the 737 Max crashes are demanding massive penalties for the US company Boeing. They are demanding a fine of almost 25 billion dollars and criminal proceedings against the aircraft manufacturer.
Relatives of the victims of two plane crashes are demanding a billion-dollar fine for the US company Boeing, the manufacturer of the two 737 Max aircraft.
According to a written demand from the families, the US Department of Justice should impose a fine of $24.8 billion and take criminal action against the aircraft manufacturer.
A large fine is justified “because Boeing’s crime is the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history,” wrote Paul Cassell, a lawyer for the families.
346 people died in two crashes
In a letter to the Justice Department, Cassell further demanded that the government prosecute employees who were at the top of Boeing at the time of the crashes in 2018 and 2019, including then-CEO Dennis Muilenburg.
A total of 346 people died in the two accidents. The first crash occurred in October 2018, when a Boeing 737 Max 8 belonging to the Indonesian airline Lion Air crashed into the Java Sea. The second crash occurred in March 2019. At that time, a 737 Max 8 belonging to Ethiopian Airlines crashed almost vertically into a field six minutes after takeoff in Addis Ababa.
Deadline until early July
In May, the Justice Department found that Boeing had violated a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement, which the company denied.
Federal prosecutors have until July 7 to present plans to the court for how to proceed. This could mean continuing the criminal case or negotiating a settlement.