Crash Victims’ Families Argue Against Boeing Non-Prosecution Deal

Federal judge weighs objections to agreement that would end criminal case.

Zach Vasile

Friday, September 05, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

An Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 sits in the maintenance area. [ AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson]

Key Takeaways:

A federal judge in Texas heard emotional testimony from victims' families objecting to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) deal that allows Boeing to avoid prosecution for the two 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people.
Relatives of the victims traveled globally to argue against the non-prosecution agreement (NPA), asserting that the deal prevents justice and urging the judge to send the case to trial.
The judge questioned the government's decision to not require an independent monitor for Boeing as part of the deal, opting instead for a "compliance consultant," though he did not rule on the agreement's legality.
The NPA would require Boeing to admit to conspiring to obstruct an FAA investigation, pay $1.1 billion in penalties and victim funds, and invest in safety improvements, but ultimately allows the company to avoid criminal charges.

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A federal judge in Texas on Wednesday heard objections to a deal between the U.S. Department of Justice and Boeing that would allow the aircraft manufacturer to avoid prosecution in connection with the crash of two 737 Max jets in 2018 and 2019 that killed a combined 346 people.

According to Reuters, Judge Reed O’Connor listened to hours of testimony from around two dozen relatives of passengers who died in the crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia. Some traveled from as far away as Africa, Indonesia, and Europe to argue against the non-prosecution agreement (NPA).