Families of Boeing crash victims express outrage over court decision to drop criminal trial

Families of victims from the two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes expressed deep grief and anger following a decision by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) late Friday not to proceed with a criminal trial against Boeing. The DOJ announced it would recommend a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) to the court, allowing Boeing to withdraw from an earlier guilty plea related to conspiracy to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The move, which spares Boeing from a courtroom trial scheduled for next month, has left many families feeling betrayed and outraged, reigniting accusations that the DOJ is failing to pursue justice on behalf of the 346 people who died.

Legal representatives and family members criticized the decision as a dangerous precedent. Paul Cassell, pro bono attorney for the families and a law professor at the University of Utah, submitted a formal objection to the DOJ’s plan, calling the deal “unprecedented and obviously wrong” for what has been described as the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history. Others, including aerospace engineer Javier de Luis, who lost his sister in the second crash, warned that the lack of accountability could endanger future passengers. “Boeing has repeatedly shown itself incapable of change,” he said, citing the Alaska Airlines door plug blowout as further evidence of ongoing safety issues.

Families also questioned the DOJ’s transparency and commitment to victims’ rights, noting their repeated but unanswered requests to meet with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi before the decision. Nadia Milleron, whose daughter died in the Ethiopia crash, accused Bondi of “coddling corporate criminals,” while French mother Catherine Berthet, who lost her 28-year-old daughter, denounced the DOJ’s blind faith in Boeing despite ongoing investigations and past misconduct. The families are now placing their hopes in U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, urging him to reject the NPA and allow the case to proceed to trial in the interest of justice and public safety.