Federal Judge Orders Boeing Arraignment

0:00

/0:00

1×

Facts

• On Thursday, federal judge Reed O’Connor ordered Boeing Co. to appear in court on Jan. 26 to be arraigned on a 2021 felony charge after families of the people killed in two crashes rejected a 2021 plea deal.
• Boeing and the US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement in 2021 over two 737 MAX airplane crashes. Without involving victims’ family members, the agreement granted Boeing immunity; families say the agreement violated the victims’ rights.
• A total of 346 people died in the crashes of a 2018 Lion Air flight and a 2019 Ethiopian Air jet. All MAX jets were grounded for nearly two years and Boeing had to overhaul the craft’s flight-control system.
• Last year, Judge O’Connor ruled that crash victims’ relatives are also victims under federal law and should have been consulted before the DOJ struck the deal requiring Boeing to pay $2.5B to avoid criminal prosecution.
• In November, Boeing said it opposed any attempt to reopen the agreement, saying it would be “unprecedented, unworkable, and inequitable.” The DOJ said it does not oppose an arraignment for Boeing, but it is against reversing the agreement.
• The agreement required Boeing to pay a $243.6M penalty, as well as $1.77B in compensation to airlines that used the 737 MAX, and $500M to establish a crash-victim beneficiaries fund.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Daily Mail, CBS, Al Jazeera and Ainonline.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Voa. Not only did Boeing commit fraud by misleading regulators about the safety of its aircraft, but it also went behind victims’ backs to strike a deal with the DOJ to gain immunity from criminal prosecution. Victims’ family members are also victims and should have been consulted before Boeing and the DOJ reached their agreement.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Wmhlaw. While the DOJ and Boeing regret not consulting the family members of crash victims, they had no legal obligation to do so. The government investigated Boeing’s errors and reached an agreement that holds the company accountable and institutes measures to prevent future tragic crashes.