Seven wrongful death lawsuits filed against Boeing Co. over the December 29, 2024, Jeju Air 737 crash at Muan International Airport in South Korea have been consolidated in Seattle federal court. The crash claimed 179 lives, and the suits allege the disaster resulted from dangerous design and construction defects in the aircraft.
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) ordered the merger Thursday, bringing together three cases from the Northern District of Illinois, three from the Eastern District of Virginia, and one from the Western District of Washington. The panel cited the need to prevent redundant discovery, inconsistent pretrial rulings, and improve overall efficiency.
Plaintiffs in Illinois and Virginia had suggested informal coordination, but the JPML determined full consolidation was the best approach. Acting chair U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton noted that international aviation disaster cases are complex and centralization is warranted, even with limited districts involved.
The Western District of Washington was chosen because the airplane was manufactured there, and many key witnesses, including Boeing employees who investigated the crash, reside locally. The court also offers a convenient forum for South Korean plaintiffs and witnesses.
The lawsuits collectively represent 32 wrongful death and survival claims on behalf of 23 crash victims. The complaints focus on multiple aircraft systems, including engines, electrical and hydraulic systems, thrust reversers, flaps, spoilers, brakes, landing gear, and the auxiliary power unit.
In one Washington case, families alleged that a bird strike triggered catastrophic failures in nearly all electrical and hydraulic systems—systems originally designed in the 1960s—preventing the plane from landing safely. Plaintiffs say the right engine dropped to 55% thrust after the strike, violating federal safety requirements. Batteries, generators, and landing gear failed, causing the plane to strike the runway belly-first at roughly 175 mph, slide into a concrete berm, and ignite. Only two passengers survived.
Illinois plaintiffs additionally allege Boeing sold a defective and unreasonably dangerous aircraft, potentially violating a $1.1 billion nonprosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice concerning the 737 Max.
The consolidated case is In Re Air Crash at Muan International Airport, South Korea, Dec. 29, 2024, Case No. 2:26-md-03174, before Judge James L. Robart, Western District of Washington.
Underlying cases include:
