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, stemming from the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash, to proceed to a jury trial on June 23, reportedly rejecting the company's attempts to withdraw a previous guilty plea agreement.
Separately, another federal judge dismissed a civil lawsuit seeking to hold former Boeing CEOs personally liable for negligence in the same crash, citing insufficient factual allegations of their direct involvement or knowledge.
Claims for punitive damages against Boeing's suppliers in the civil lawsuit were also dismissed, as Boeing had 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.