federal judge on thursday rejected a proposed plea deal That would allow Boeing to plead guilty and pay fines for the two 737 Max crashes, sending the airline giant back into uncertain legal territory.
Judge Reed O'Connor of the Northern District of Texas specifically rejected a provision in the proposed agreement that would require the parties to consider race when hiring independent monitors, stating that the agreement would require courts to appoint and supervise monitors. He said that it would strengthen the system.
“These provisions are inappropriate and contrary to the public interest,” O'Connor wrote.
He gave Boeing and the Department of Justice (DOJ) 30 days to present a new plan for how to proceed.
The decision is a setback for Boeing, which has weathered intense scrutiny since a door on a 737 Max 9 flew off during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
Federal prosecutors indicted Boeing in 2021 on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, accusing the company of misleading the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about issues with its Maneuvering Enhancement System software that were involved in both crashes. .
In July, the Justice Department and Boeing announced a $250 million fine after the company pleaded guilty to fraud charges for misleading regulators ahead of two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. We made an agreement to pay.
Families of some of the 346 victims are calling for the “sweetheart” agreement to be rejected, saying they cannot hold Boeing accountable for the loss of their loved ones.
Neither the Justice Department nor Boeing immediately responded to requests for comment.
