Boeing settles 2 wrongful death lawsuits over 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash

April 07, 2025 / 12:04 pm

caption: Protesters hold photographs of victims, including Melvin Riffel, left, of the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines plane crash, outside Boeing's annual shareholders meeting in Chicago on April 29, 2019. Ike Riffel, a California father whose two sons, Melvin and Bennett, died in the crash, fears that instead of putting Boeing on trial, the government will offer the company another shot at corporate probation through a legal document called a deferred prosecution agreement, or DPA.

Less than a day before jury selection was scheduled for two lawsuits against Boeing, the aerospace company settled with the families of the victims.

The cases — Belanger v. Boeing and Lewis v. Boeing — were brought by two families who lost loved ones on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019 aboard a 737 Max 8. A total of 157 people died — including 46-year-old Darcy Belanger and 39-year-old Antoine Lewis — when the plane crashed minutes after it took off from the Addis Ababa airport.

"I'm happy for our client," said Mark Lindquist, the Tacoma attorney representing the Belanger family. "She stood her ground. We are satisfied with the resolution, accountability, and closure."

The terms of the settlements are confidential. There are also cases pending for 18 other families. Another trial stemming from this crash is slated for July. Boeing also still faces a lawsuit from the Department of Justice.

Investigations into the Ethiopian Airlines crash confirmed that Boeing's MCAS software played a role in the crash. An error in the flight program caused the plane's nose to repeatedly dive.

Investigations also found that pilots were not adequately trained on the MCAS program. The same conclusions were issued for the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash in the Java Sea that killed 181 people on board. The incidents prompted a worldwide grounding of all 737 Max 8 planes for nearly two years.

Antonio M. Romanucci with of Romanucci & Blandin represented the Lewis family. Both attorneys, Romanucci and Lindquist, are also representing victims from the 737 Max crash in 2018, and passengers from the more recent Boeing door plug incident out of Portland, Ore.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.