Boeing criminal case dismissed at DOJ's request despite judge's unease
A federal judge has dismissed a criminal conspiracy case against Boeing connected to its 737 Max flight control system, which was linked to two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. The Department of Justice requested the dismissal in May, a move opposed by families of the victims.
The crashes involved two flights: Lion Air in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines near Addis Ababa in 2019. Following these incidents, the 737 Max aircraft was grounded worldwide for two years.
Judge expresses concern
Judge Reed O’Connor of Fort Worth, Texas, voiced concern about the reasoning behind the government's request to drop the case.
“The government now believes that Boeing can be trusted to select a compliance consultant because Boeing has made meaningful progress in improving its anti-fraud compliance and ethics programs,” O'Connor wrote in his dismissal.
“In summary, the government's position in this lawsuit has been that Boeing committed crimes sufficient to justify prosecution, failed to remedy its fraudulent behavior on its own during the [Deferred Prosecution Agreement], which justified a guilty plea and the imposition of an independent monitor, but now Boeing will remedy that dangerous culture by retaining a consultant of its own choosing.”
The judge’s remarks highlight skepticism over whether Boeing’s internal compliance improvements are sufficient for long-term accountability.
Author’s summary
Despite serious concerns from the court and victims’ families, the DOJ’s move ends Boeing’s criminal prosecution over the 737 Max crashes, raising questions about corporate accountability.