A Texas judge has set a trial date for the US Justice Department’s criminal fraud case against Boeing, which relates to misrepresentations made by the manufacturer to US regulators about a key system on its 737 MAX aircraft.
Boeing originally agreed to pay $2.1bn in a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which included $500 million to a victim's fund, set up for the families of those who died in two separate 737 MAX crashes, in addition to a $243 million criminal penalty.
The two MAX crashes, one in October 2018 involving Indonesia’s Lion Air and another a month later involving an Ethiopian Airlines jet, collectively resulted in the deaths of 346 people and the grounding of the aircraft type globally.
In May 2024, Boeing was ruled to have breached the terms of this agreement.
Two months later in July, Boeing agreed to a plea deal to avoid a criminal fraud trial. This included a $487.2 million fine (double the statutory maximum fine) and a $455 million investment in its safety and compliance programmes. However, his plea deal was subsequently thrown out by US District Judge Reed O'Connor in December.
Most recently, O'Connor had given Boeing and the DOJ until April 11, 2025, to come to an agreement on a new plea deal after he rejected the prior deal, faulting a diversity and inclusion provision.
The Wall Street Journal reported on March 24, 2025, that Boeing is seeking to withdraw the existing plea deal, citing sources familiar with the talks. O'Connor did not indicate why he was setting a trial date or withdrawing the prior April deadline for the parties to reach a new deal.
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