Families of Boeing 737 Max crash victims call for planemaker to be fined $25 billion for 'deadliest corporate crime in US history'

Pete Syme
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  • Families of Boeing 737 Max crash victims are calling for the company to be fined $25 billion.

  • It comes a day after Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun testified before a Senate subcommittee.

  • Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion in 2021, but that settlement is being scrutinized after a blowout.

The families of Boeing 737 Max crash victims are calling for the planemaker to face a fine of nearly $25 billion, Bloomberg reported.

Three hundred and forty-six people died in two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.

In 2021, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion as part of a settlement called a deferred prosecution agreement after it was charged with fraud conspiracy in the wake of the crashes.

But this settlement came under scrutiny following January's Alaska Airlines blowout.

Last month, the Justice Department said Boeing had failed to fulfill the conditions of the agreement and that, as a result, "Boeing is subject to prosecution by the United States."

On Wednesday, an attorney representing 15 families of the 737 Max crash victims, Paul Cassell, wrote a letter to the Justice Department saying that Boeing had committed "the deadliest corporate crime in US history."

Cassell said that the nearly $25 billion sought by the families was "legally justified and clearly appropriate" but suggested that $14 billion to $22 billion of the total amount could be suspended if Boeing committed to spending those funds on safety improvements and an independent corporate monitor, per Bloomberg.

The families also called on the DoJ to prosecute Boeing executives from the time of the two crashes, the report said.

Cassell's letter came a day after Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun testified before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee.

At the hearing, he told victims' families that Boeing was "deeply sorry" for their losses.

"I want to personally apologize, on behalf of everyone at Boeing," said Calhoun, who previously announced that he would be stepping down at the end of the year.

"We are deeply sorry for your losses. Nothing is more important than the safety of the people who step on board," he added.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

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