Aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co has finally settled its first claims involving the tragic crash of two of its airplanes late last year and early this year. The lawsuits that the company settled were those filed due to the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia in October of last year. The particular crash caused the death of 189 passengers and crew members.
According to the reports citing sources close to the matter, Boeing had apparently agreed to pay $1.2 million per plaintiff. The money will go directly to the family members of those who were killed in the crash who had filed the lawsuits. The US law firm that handled the particular cases stated that they have already settled 11 out of the 17 claims they have against Boeing.
Boeing has yet to release a formal statement following the settlement, but the law firm had confirmed that the aircraft manufacturer did not admit liability in any of the settled claims.
Boeing is currently facing more than 55 lawsuits in the US Federal Court in Chicago. Meanwhile, it is facing close to 100 other lawsuits over the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March of this year. The Ethiopian crash killed 157 passengers and crew members.
The 11 claims that had been settled are the first ones to have been resolved. Lawyers representing the Lion Air plaintiffs are reportedly still scheduling mediation talks, which are expected to take place next month.
Reports had clarified that the $1.2 million settlement is for every victim that is single and without any dependents. The exact amount given to the other plaintiffs will reportedly vary depending on the victim's age, marital status, income, nationality, and the number of dependents. All of the plaintiffs are family members of the Lion Air victims and are all from Indonesia.
Lawyers of the family members of the victims of the Ethiopian Airline crash are currently pushing for a jury trial in the United States. Claims stemming from the crash are demanding much more from the company given its questionable action of allowing its 737 Max jets to continue operations despite the Lion Air incident.
The investigation into the two crashes had discovered that the problem had stemmed from Boeing's MCAS automated flight software, which forced the two planes to nose dive. The company claimed that the design flaw caused the system to override pilot commands. Boeing had previously apologized for the lives lost, but the company has yet to admit that it was at fault.
