U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor on Thursday rejected Boeing’s plea agreement with the Department of Justice in a criminal conspiracy case tied to the deadly 737 Max 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019. The judge cited issues with how race and diversity were to be considered in selecting an independent compliance monitor, as well as the agreement‘s marginalization of the court’s role in the oversight process.
Key Points in Judge’s Ruling
Judge O’Connor emphasized the court’s responsibility to ensure Boeing adheres to an ethics and anti-fraud compliance program under the supervision of a truly independent monitor. He criticized the plea deal for requiring consideration of race in the monitor selection process and for limiting judicial oversight.
“These provisions are inappropriate and against the public interest,” Judge O’Connor stated in his order.
The decision follows months of scrutiny after families of crash victims opposed the plea deal, calling it “morally reprehensible” for allowing Boeing to avoid significant culpability for the crashes that killed 346 people.
Crash Background and Investigations
The crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019 were linked to a flawed automated flight control system, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Investigations revealed that the system could be triggered by faulty sensor readings, leading to fatal nosedives.
