As families of crash victims await word from the Department of Justice regarding its next steps in the criminal prosecution of Boeing, Burns Charest in partnership with Professor Paul Cassell and the Clifford Law Firm filed an expedited motion seeking the immediate appointment of a judicial monitor over Boeing’s safety practices. 

Following two deadly crashes of Boeing’s 737 Max airliners in Indonesia and Africa more than five years ago, Boeing entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the Department of Justice, which required the company to implement new safety practices. In January 2023, the family members of crash victims forced the public arraignment of Boeing because they had not been given notice of the DPA or the right to confer with the DOJ about its terms. In May 2024, the DOJ notified the Court that Boeing was in material breach of the DPA. 

“In the past year there have been several instances of serious ongoing safety and compliance issues with Boeing link directly to the earlier tragedies” says the firm’s Darren Nicholson. “There is an urgent need for imposition of an independent, judicially appointed monitor to implement safety measures, and we are proud to assist Professor Cassell in his work on behalf of these families.”

The Justice Department must decide by July 7 whether to prosecute the Chicago-based manufacturer.

The motion was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Case No. 4:21-cr-005-O-1.