Boeing pays $28 million to crash victim’s family
The US aerospace manufacturer Boeing has been ordered by a federal jury in Chicago to pay more than US $28 million to the family of Shikha Garg, a United Nations consultant who died in the March 2019 crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.
According to court documents, Boeing had already accepted its role in the disaster but the trial focused on the amount of compensation, including for pain and suffering and the emotional distress caused by the plane’s malfunctioning flight‑control system.
The jury verdict awarded US $10 million specifically for pain and suffering and another US $10 million for grief, alongside additional sums for other damages, bringing the total with interest to approximately US $35.85 million. Boeing has agreed not to appeal the decision.
This case is notable as the first civil trial to go before a jury among the many lawsuits filed after the two fatal 737 MAX crashes (the other being in Indonesia) that together killed 346 people.
This verdict underscores mounting legal and reputational pressures facing Boeing as it continues to navigate litigation, regulatory scrutiny and efforts to implement safety reforms following the 737 MAX disasters.
