Jury awards $49.5 million to Boeing 737 MAX crash victim’s family
A jury in Chicago recently ruled in favor of the family of a 24-year-old American who tragically lost her life in the devastating Boeing 737 MAX crash in 2019. The family of Samya Stumo, who was among the 157 individuals who perished in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, was awarded $49.5 million in damages by the jury.
The lawsuit was brought forth by Stumo’s relatives after they were unable to reach a settlement with Boeing prior to the trial. The jury deliberated for approximately two hours before determining that the total damages suffered by the plaintiff amounted to $49.5 million.
While most civil lawsuits related to the crash have been settled outside of court, Stumo’s family opted to pursue their case through the legal system. Boeing expressed their condolences in a statement, acknowledging the loss suffered by the families of those affected by the Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashes.
Samya Stumo was on her way to Kenya for her first assignment with ThinkWell, a non-governmental organization focused on improving healthcare access in Africa and Asia, when the tragic incident occurred. The Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa, claiming the lives of all passengers on board.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 model was also involved in the Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which claimed the lives of 189 individuals just months prior to the Ethiopian Airlines tragedy. Following these incidents, Boeing grounded all 737 Max planes for nearly two years to implement necessary system upgrades.
Boeing faced a criminal fraud charge in connection to the crashes, but federal prosecutors dropped the case after Boeing agreed to pay over $1.1 billion in fines and an additional $445 million in compensation for the victims’ families. The settlement required Boeing to enhance internal safety and quality protocols.
This agreement allowed Boeing to evade criminal prosecution for allegedly providing misleading information to U.S. regulators regarding the 737 Max jetliner prior to the crashes.
