Boeing to pay millions over death of UN employee in Ethiopia

A federal jury in Chicago has ordered Boeing to pay more than $28 million to the family of Shikha Garg, a United Nations environmental worker who died in the 2019 crash of a Boeing 737 MAX in Ethiopia.

With interest included, her family will receive $35.85 million, Caliber.Az reports, citing Reuters.

The lawsuit argued that the 737 MAX was defectively designed and that Boeing failed to warn passengers and the public about the dangers it posed.

In a statement, a Boeing spokeswoman expressed the company’s deep sorrow to everyone who lost loved ones on the two flights.

"While we have resolved the vast majority of these claims through settlements, families are also entitled to pursue their claims through damages trials in court, and we respect their right to do so," she said.

The lawyers representing the family described the verdict as one that “provides public accountability for Boeing’s wrongful conduct,” and made clear that Boeing will not appeal.

The Ethiopian Airlines aircraft operating Flight 302 from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) to Nairobi (Kenya) crashed just minutes after takeoff.

Five months earlier, a Lion Air jet had plunged into the Java Sea near Indonesia.

A total of 346 people were killed in the two accidents.

Both crashes were caused by an automated flight-control system.

This is the first of dozens of lawsuits filed after the two air disasters.

Boeing has already settled more than 90% of the crash-related claims, paying out billions of dollars in compensation.

By Jeyhun Aghazada