Boeing ordered to pay a colossal sum to a victim of the Ethiopian Airlines crash

A jury in a Chicago federal court handed down a major judgment against Boeing, ordering the aircraft manufacturer to pay $28 million, plus 26% interest, bringing the total to $35.85 million.

This ruling follows the first trial related to the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crash and concerns the death of passenger Shikha Garg.

Boeing accepted the payment and confirmed it would not appeal the decision.

The victim, Shikha Garg, a 32-year-old United Nations employee, died while traveling from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya.

This decision marks the beginning of a series of similar lawsuits to come.

Dozens of lawsuits await the manufacturer regarding the 346 deaths caused by the crash in Ethiopia, as well as the victims of the Lion Air 737 MAX crash in Indonesia, which occurred a few months earlier.

The company’s lawyer expressed deep regret for these losses, emphasizing that Boeing had already settled the vast majority of the disputes out of court.

He nevertheless reiterated that the families remained free to pursue civil lawsuits for damages.

The victims’ lawyers welcomed the decision, stating that it finally compels Boeing to answer publicly and legally for these tragic deaths.