A federal appeals court in the United States has denied a request to reopen a criminal case against Boeing tied to two fatal crashes of 737 Max jets.
JEA advances rate increases as board confronts budget shortfall, internal tensionsMarch 31, 2026 at 5:29 PM FILE - A family member wears a photo of a Boeing crash victim Danielle Moore before a hearing at federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, Sept.
3, 2025. Lawyers for the families had argued that the Department of Justice failed to properly consult them before reaching a deal last year with Boeing that leda criminal conspiracy charge against the company. The charge stemmed from allegations that Boeing misled federal regulators about a flight-control system linked to the crashes, which killed 346 people.In a unanimous decision released Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it disagreed with the families' claims that federal prosecutors had violated their rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act and therefore could not revive the case.“Today’s ruling means that Boeing escapes criminal justice accountability for killing 346 people,” Cassell said Tuesday in a statement."The victims’ families were never given a meaningful opportunity to shape the negotiations between the Justice Department and Boeing, dating back to 2020." Emailed messages were sent to Boeing seeking comment. At a hearing last month in New Orleans before the appellate court, Boeing attorney Paul Clement said more than 60 other families “affirmatively supported” the deal and dozens more did not oppose it. “Boeing deeply regrets” the tragic crashes, Clement had said, and “has taken extraordinary steps to improve its internal processes and has paid substantial compensation” to the victims’ families. The deal allowed Boeing to avoid prosecution in exchange for paying or investing an additional $1.1 billion in fines, compensation to victims’ families, and internal safety and quality measures. At the same hearing, federal prosecutors told the judges that the government has, for years,"solicited and weighed the views of the crash victims’ families as it’s decided whether and how to prosecute the Boeing Company.” All passengers and crew died when the 737 Max jets crashed less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019 — a Lion Air flight thatin 2021 with defrauding the government but agreed not to prosecute if the company paid a settlement and took steps to comply with anti-fraud laws.altogether, which O'Connor approved in November. The Justice Department argued that going to trial carried the risk that a jury might acquit Boeing entirely, leaving the company without further punishment. In dismissing the case, O'Connor said federal prosecutors hadn’t acted in bad faith and had explained their decision and met their obligations under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act. O'Connor also said that case law prevented him from blocking the dismissal simply because he disagreed with the government’s view that the new deal with Boeing served the public interest. The case centered around a software system that Boeing developed for the 737 Max, which airlines began flying in 2017. Boeing billed it as an update to its 737 family that wouldn’t require much additional pilot training. But the Max did include significant changes, some of which Boeing downplayed — most notably, the addition of an automated flight-control system designed to help account for the plane’s larger engines. Boeing didn’t mention the system in airplane manuals, and mostof the plane down repeatedly based on faulty readings from a single sensor, and pilots flying for Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines were unable to regain control. After the Ethiopia crash, the planes were grounded worldwide for 20 months.key Federal Aviation Administration personnel about changes it had made to the software before regulators set pilot training requirements for the Max and certified the airliner for flight. “One can only hope that another Boeing crash won’t be the outcome of this badly flawed ruling,” Cassell, the lawyer for the families, said Tuesday. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.It's time to harvest. Learning from mistakes, starting round two and little leaves for BIG saladsOne wrong move: The sometimes-life-threatening reality inside Jacksonville’s road work zonesThe Jags are about to get a new 'home away from home' for 2027Lawmakers hope new law spurs affordable housing, but some say it weakens local government controlWoman found fatally shot in front yard of home on Jacksonville’s WestsideFlorida court shuts down online gift card business based in Ponte Vedra, imposes over $800K in finesDNA test connects Clay County Navy veteran to WWII POW missing for over 80 yearsSt. Augustine replacing downtown parking kiosks with cashless touchscreensHundreds participate in Jacksonville ‘No Kings’ rally against Trump administrationFlagler College students protest housing policy as seniors cite affordability, availability concernsGAME DAY ⚾🦐 The defending Triple-A National Champion Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp return
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