U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing is set to appear in a jury trial in Chicago this week over the first civil lawsuit related to the 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8. The aircraft crashed just six minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa on March 10, 2019, killing all 157 people on board.
The trial was originally set to involve two plaintiffs who lost loved ones in the crash, but one party reached a settlement ahead of the proceedings. The case will now continue on behalf of the family of Canadian environmental activist Darcy Belanger, unless another settlement is reached.
Following the accident, families of 155 victims filed lawsuits against Boeing. As of March 2025, 18 claims remain active, although three of those were recently settled.
Boeing is also facing a separate criminal trial scheduled to begin in Texas this June. Both cases are at the heart of ongoing scrutiny over the company’s safety practices.
