On 7 April 2025, Boeing settled two lawsuits tied to the tragic Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash, just hours before jury selection was set to begin in Chicago.
The crash, which occurred on March 10, 2019, killed all 157 passengers and crew aboard a Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
This last-minute resolution avoided what would have been the first civil jury trial linked to the 737 MAX crashes. It remains a saga that has haunted Boeing for years.
Recent Out of Court Settlements
The lawsuits, Belanger v. Boeing and Lewis v. Boeing, were filed by families of victims Darcy Belanger and Antoine Lewis. Belanger, a 46-year-old Canadian environmentalist, was en route to a UN conference. Also aboard the flight was Lewis, a 39-year-old U.S. Army captain, who was exploring business ventures in Africa.
Both lost their lives in the disaster. At the time of writing, settlement details in the two cases remain confidential. The agreement marks a significant step in addressing the fallout from one of aviation’s darkest chapters.
The Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crash, alongside the Lion Air Flight 610 disaster in 2018, exposed critical flaws in the 737 MAX’s design.
A faulty flight control system, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), forced the aircraft to pitch nose down, overwhelming the pilots.
These incidents led to the global grounding of the 737 MAX fleet for nearly two years and cost Boeing over $20 billion in settlements, production halts, and airline payouts.
Admission of Liability and Compensation Cases
Boeing admitted responsibility for the Ethiopian crash in a 2021 deal with victims’ families, shifting legal battles to compensation disputes.
In these cases, the US manufacturing giant argued that instant deaths limited damages for pain and suffering. This was a claim set for courtroom debate until the out of court settlement intervened.
The trial, expected to last two weeks, would have seen emotional testimony as jurors determined the case for financial awards.
Looking Ahead: Further Trials
While these settlements close two Boeing lawsuits, 18 other lawsuits from the Ethiopian crash remain unresolved, with the next trial slated for July 2025.
Boeing also faces a criminal trial in Texas in June 2025, following a Department of Justice probe into whether it misled regulators about the 737 MAX’s safety. The company has settled over 90% of claims from the two MAX crashes and continues to express regret while working to resolve outstanding cases.
For the families, these settlements offer some closure, but the scars of loss endure. The 737 MAX crashes reshaped aviation safety and Boeing’s reputation, spotlighting the need for rigorous oversight.
As legal proceedings continue, the focus remains on accountability and ensuring such egregious tragedies never repeat.
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