Jury awards $49.5 million to Boeing 737 MAX crash victim : NPR
NPR • • world
Key Points:
- A federal jury in Chicago awarded $49.5 million to the family of Samya Stumo, a 24-year-old woman killed in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crash, resolving one of the last cases related to two deadly 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people.
- Boeing had admitted responsibility for the crash, so the trial focused on the amount of compensatory damages, with the jury awarding $21 million for Stumo's experience during the flight, $16.5 million for loss of companionship, and $12 million for grief.
- Boeing previously reached agreements with the Justice Department to avoid criminal prosecution and settled many lawsuits confidentially, but some cases, including Stumo’s, proceeded to trial.
- The family’s attorneys plan to pursue punitive damages on appeal after those claims were dismissed, while Boeing expressed sympathy for the victims and respect for families pursuing court claims.
- Since the crashes, victims' families, including Stumo’s, have advocated for accountability from Boeing and federal regulators for their roles in the disasters.