Court denies Boeing plea deal connected to 737 Max crashes

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A federal judge rejected Boeing’s plea deal related to a criminal fraud charge stemming from fatal crashes of its 737 Max aircraft. The judge expressed concerns about the government-appointed monitor having diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, as well as the selection process for the monitor. The court gave Boeing and the Justice Department 30 days to decide how to proceed. In July, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to misleading regulators about a flight-control system on the Max that was implicated in the crashes. Victims’ family members criticized the plea deal as a “sweetheart deal” and sought more accountability from Boeing. The Justice Department recommended a fine of up to $487.2 million, with half to be credited due to a previous agreement, resulting in a fine of $243.6 million. The new plea deal came after the Justice Department said Boeing violated a previous agreement following an incident where a door plug blew off a 737 Max 9. The judge noted that it was not clear what exactly Boeing did to breach the Deferred Prosecution Agreement. Overall, there are ongoing discussions regarding the plea deal and potential renegotiation to ensure real accountability for Boeing’s actions related to the 737 Max crashes.

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