Boeing 737 MAX Crash Victims Mass Tort Litigation

Following the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019 — which together killed 346 people — victims' families filed a wave of wrongful death and product liability lawsuits against Boeing in federal court. Plaintiffs allege that Boeing knowingly concealed critical safety defects in its Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a flight-control software that repeatedly forced the aircraft's nose downward based on faulty sensor data, leaving pilots unable to recover. Internal Boeing communications later revealed in litigation showed engineers and managers had discussed the MCAS vulnerabilities before either crash, strengthening claims that the company prioritized speed to market over passenger safety.

In January 2021, Boeing entered a $2.5 billion deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, admitting its employees deceived the FAA. In 2024, the DOJ determined Boeing had violated that agreement, reopening criminal proceedings and intensifying civil litigation. A landmark 2024 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States resulted in a $243.6 million criminal fine and $455 million in safety and compliance investments. Individual family settlements continue to be negotiated, and a federal victims' compensation fund administered through the court remains active. The litigation has prompted sweeping regulatory reforms to FAA aircraft certification processes.