Boeing Headed to Jury Trial in Criminal Case

Former company CEOs and suppliers have been ruled safe from 737 Max prosecution.

Caleb Revill

Monday, March 31, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

An Ethiopian 737 Max 8 sits on the tarmac. [Credit: AirlineGeeks/William Dickerson]

Key Takeaways:

A federal judge has ordered Boeing's criminal negligence case, related to the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash, to proceed to a jury trial on June 23, rejecting the company's reported attempts to withdraw its guilty plea or negotiate a new agreement.
In a separate civil lawsuit, a federal judge dismissed claims accusing former Boeing CEOs of personal liability for the crash, stating there were insufficient factual allegations to prove their direct involvement or knowledge of the alleged negligence.
The same civil lawsuit also saw claims for punitive damages against Boeing's suppliers dismissed, as Boeing had already accepted liability for compensatory damages.

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A federal judge has ordered that Boeing’s criminal case accusing the company of negligence for 2019’s Ethiopian Airlines crash will go forward to jury trial this summer.

On Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Boeing was attempting to withdraw its guilty plea agreement for the criminal case where it was blamed for misleading regulators before two deadly 737 Max aircraft crashes.