US Judge Questions DoJ Deal Letting Boeing Avoid Independent Monitor

A U.S. judge on September 3 held a three-hour hearing to review objections to a Justice Department agreement with Boeing that allows the planemaker to avoid prosecution over the two fatal 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people.

Judge Reed O’Connor, presiding in Texas, pressed the government on why it dropped a requirement for Boeing to be overseen by an independent monitor for three years, instead permitting the company to hire a compliance consultant. He did not immediately rule but heard passionate objections from families of crash victims who traveled from Indonesia, Ethiopia, Europe, Canada, and the U.S. to testify against the deal.

“It’s been almost seven years since these crashes and we still haven’t gotten any justice,” said Ike Riffel, a California father who lost his two sons in the Ethiopia crash.

The Justice Department argued Boeing has improved oversight, with the FAA providing stronger supervision, and said the court has no authority to appoint a special prosecutor as some families requested. Boeing has agreed to pay an additional $444.5 million into a victims’ fund, alongside a $243.6 million fine and more than $455 million earmarked for compliance, safety, and quality improvements.

Critics, however, called the arrangement an escape from accountability. “This is essentially Boeing trying to buy its way out of responsibility,” said attorney Paul Cassell, representing several families.

O’Connor has previously described Boeing’s actions as “the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history.” Families continue to demand a full guilty plea, saying the DOJ’s concessions fail to match the scale of the tragedy.

Boeing declined to comment on the hearing.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, reuters.com