1 week Ago By Tatenda Karuwa
Boeing has reached out-of-court settlements with the families of Antoine Lewis and Darcy Belengar, who were among the 157 killed in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019. The crash, together with Lion Air Flight 610, has forced Boeing into hundreds of settlements with the victims’ families over the last six years. The lawyers handling the case hope the settlements bring closure to the victims' families.
Legal action will continue to be sought against Boeing for the remaining cases, with two more trials scheduled for July and November 2025. Meanwhile, Boeing will potentially face a criminal trial in June. Two last-minute settlements The US manufacturer was set to face a jury trial for the fatal Boeing 737 Max crash, starting on Monday, April 7, 2025, with the selection of an eight-person jury.
The Chicago trial was scheduled to last two weeks, featuring two plaintiffs whose family members were onboard the doomed jet. However, according to Clifford Law Offices, settlements were reached late last night. The terms of the settlements are confidential, as with other cases regarding the crash.
Antonio M Romanucci, Founding Partner of Romanucci & Blandin and Lead Counsel in the Antoine Lewis Case, said, "This settlement will bring a measure of closure to Lewis’ widow, Yalena Lopez Lewis, but can never make up for this heartbreaking and life-altering loss for his family." Bringing closure to families The Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX was operating Flight 302 from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) on March 10, 2019, when it crashed shortly after takeoff , killing all 157 people onboard. The accident, which was the deadliest in Ethiopian’s history, was attributed to the flawed design of the aircraft’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
Between April 2019 and March 2021, relatives of the crash victims sued Boeing for several charges , including wrongful death and negligence. As of March 2025, 18 accusations against the US manufacturer remained open, according to a source close to the matter. Following Sunday’s deal, four more cases have now been settled since March.
Antoine Lewis was a US Army captain from South Surbaban Matteson, while Darcy Belengar was the director of professional development at PCL Construction and a founding member of an environmental NGO called the Parvati Foundation. Lewis was on military leave to investigate opportunities to start a logistics business in Africa while Belengar was flying to a UN Environmental Assembly where he was a speaker. "I’m happy for my client.
She stood her ground. We are satisfied with the resolution, accountability, and closure," said Mark Lindquist, lead counsel on the Belengar case. "The fight against Boeing will continue for the remaining cases with the next trial beginning on July 14 and another trial for victims’ families currently scheduled for November 3, added Robert Clifford, Lead Counsel in the overall litigation.
Boeing reiterated that the "37 program has not reached rate 38 this year and the program has not reduced its rate." Reaching a plea deal Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was the second crash of a Boeing 737 MAX in five months, following the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 . The aircraft also crashed shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, killing 189 people.
The manufacturer also faced several lawsuits from victims’ families, and as of the end of March, only one case remained open. The Sunday settlements come as the planemaker faces a potential criminal trial in June in Texas. Earlier this month, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said that the company is discussing with the US Department of Justice to reach a revised plea agreement regarding the design of the 737 MAX in a criminal fraud case.
A July 2024 plea deal was rejected by a federal judge, who, in March, set a trial date for June 23 if the parties fail to reach an agreement. Ortberg said, “We’re in the process right now of going back with the DOJ and coming up with an alternate agreement. I want this resolved as fast as anybody.
We’re still in discussions, and hopefully, we’ll have a new agreement here soon.” Ortberg’s remarks came at the Senate Commerce Committee Hearing as he was questioned by Senate Republicans. This was his first hearing since taking office in August 2024.
Boeing had earlier agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge and pay $487. 2 million. The executive has been quick to point out the company's latest moves.
The manufacturer would also spend $455 million on safety and compliance improvements over three years of court-supervised probation and install a corporate monitor for three years. However, relatives of the crash victims called the plea agreement a “sweetheart” deal that failed to adequately hold the company accountable for the crashes..
