In brief
A U.S. judge has rejected Boeing's plea agreement related to two fatal crashes, raising new questions about the company's accountability and safety practices.
In a critical ruling, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor invalidated a plea deal that had Boeing agreeing to plead guilty to criminal fraud, pay a fine of $243 million, and submit to independent monitoring. The judge argued that the proposed deal undermined the court's authority over monitoring and raised concerns about its diversity and inclusion provision in hiring a monitor. He emphasized that the agreement allowed Boeing too much influence in selecting the monitor and failed to hold the company accountable sufficiently for its role in the crashes that claimed 346 lives. Families of victims criticized the plea as a lenient arrangement and expressed hope for a stronger renegotiation. The Department of Justice is now re-evaluating its options and has 30 days to formulate a new agreement with the aerospace giant as it continues to struggle with its safety reputation following near-identical incidents involving its 737 Max aircraft.
