Boeing called to court to answer 737 Max fraud charge
The Boeing Company was ordered on Thursday to appear before a United States District Court on January 26 to answer to a 737 Max fraud conspiracy charge after relatives of the passengers killed in the 2018 and 2019 crashes objected to the January 2021 settlement agreement that ensured the company's immunity.
Calling for the court to rescind Boeing's immunity from criminal prosecution, the families submitted that the Justice Department (DoJ) "lied and violated their rights through a secret process." Last November, both the DoJ and Boeing opposed undoing the $2.5 billion agreement, with the latter calling such a move "unprecedented, unworkable, and inequitable."
Last year, Boeing agreed to pay a $200 million penalty to settle Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charges that the company misled the public about the safety of the 737 Max planes following the crashes.