Boeing's lawyers argue for settlement opposed by relatives of those killed in 737 Max crashes
Relatives of passengers who died in Boeing Max crashes have attended a Texas courtroom where their lawyers asked a judge to throw out a plea agreement they say is a sweetheart deal for Boeing
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Relatives of passengers who died in two crashes of Boeing 737 Max planes came to a federal court in Texas on Friday to listen as their lawyers asked a judge to throw out a plea agreement that the aircraft manufacturer struck with prosecutors and put the company on trial.
Their lawyers argued that Boeing's punishment — mainly a fine amounting to about $244 million — would be too light for misleading regulators about a flight-control system that malfunctioned before the crashes. They accused Boeing and the Justice Department of airbrushing facts and ignoring that 346 people died in the crashes.
U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor asked a Boeing lawyer why he should accept the prepackaged plea deal and a sentence negotiated by a defendant.
The Boeing lawyer, Ben Hatch, said Boeing "is a pillar of the national economy and the national defense” and needs to know the punishment before it agrees to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud, a felony. Otherwise, he said, the company could be disbarred from federal contracting.
