Jakarta, IO – Families of victims of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes, including those who died aboard Lion Air Flight 610, will begin receiving final compensation payments totaling US$944.5 million under a U.S. Department of Justice criminal resolution with The Boeing Company, according to Ribbeck Law Chartered.
The compensation covers 346 victims of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea near Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 29, 2018, killing all 189 people on board. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 10, 2019, killing all 157 people aboard. Investigations linked both crashes to Boeing’s MCAS flight-control system.
“We handled a highly complex matter that required international coordination across more than 35 countries where the victims resided, as well as litigation in multiple jurisdictions. We have now concluded the legal work on behalf of our clients in the United States, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Boeing will begin compensating our clients immediately pursuant to the non-prosecution agreement entered into with the U.S. Department of Justice,” said Manuel von Ribbeck of Ribbeck Law Chartered.
The US$944.5 million in criminal-case victim compensation consists of US$500 million provided under the 2021 Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) and an additional US$444.5 million under the 2025 Non-Prosecution Agreement (NPA). Divided equally among the 346 victims, the combined compensation represents approximately US$2.73 million per victim.
Beyond direct victim compensation, Boeing’s two criminal resolutions also included penalties, airline compensation, and compliance investments, bringing the total value of the criminal resolutions to approximately US$3.64 billion.
Separately, Boeing has paid approximately US$2 billion in civil settlements, most of which were resolved in earlier years. Because most individual civil settlement amounts remain confidential, the US$2 billion figure is an estimate based on publicly reported settlements and awards.
Taken together, the criminal and civil matters have resulted in more than US$5.64 billion in compensation and related payments stemming from the two crashes.
The compensation marks the latest development in the legal proceedings surrounding the two Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes, which together claimed the lives of 346 passengers and crew members.
(Source: Special)
“Our primary objective throughout this litigation was not only to secure justice and compensation for our clients, but also to hold the defendants accountable and push for meaningful changes that improve aviation safety worldwide,” said Monica Kelly of Ribbeck Law Chartered.
Under the criminal resolution, Boeing is also required to invest at least US$455 million in compliance and aviation-safety programs and retain an Independent Compliance Consultant.
Read More: Prabowo Cites National Transformation Strategy As Key To Lifting Millions Out Of Poverty
A Victim’s Perspective
For families, the compensation comes years after the two crashes and cannot undo the loss of their loved ones.
Dr. Mohamad Farrag of Cairo, Egypt, whose brother Abdel Hamid Farrag Mohamed Megali was aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, said: “There is no amount of money in the world that can bring my brother back. But when I hired Ribbeck Law, I requested that this case lead to stronger quality-control measures and help prevent future aviation disasters.”
Abdel Hamid Farrag Mohamed Megali was an Egyptian Foreign Ministry engineer and PhD candidate who was one month away from completing his PhD when the crash occurred. He was also the primary financial provider for his wife, who was pregnant with their second child, their young son, his parents and three younger siblings.
Addressing the court during the final U.S. Department of Justice hearing in federal court in Texas, Dr. Farrag spoke on behalf of the victims’ families about the profound and lasting impact of the crash on their families.
Adrian Vuckovich, Senior Partner at Collins, Bargione and Vuckovich in Chicago and Lead Counsel of the Ribbeck-Vuckovich Litigation Team’s Criminal Division, described the outcome as a “remarkable and historic achievement,” noting that multimillion-dollar compensation of this scale is rarely awarded in aviation-related criminal matters.
“Ribbeck Law played a crucial role in securing this latest compensation fund for all of the families,” Vuckovich said. “The DOJ and Boeing attached as exhibits our clients’ willingness to accept the NP Agreement because of the fund as a main reason for the Court to accept the agreement. The Judge noted the support in his decision.”
Peter S. Lubin, co-counsel at DiTommaso Lubin P.C., said: “It has been a privilege to work alongside Monica and Manuel Ribbeck, whom I have known for decades. Helping to secure a measure of justice for these families, and a measure of accountability from Boeing, ranks among the proudest moments of my career. In more than forty years of practice, I have not worked with better negotiators of complex settlements. Monica and Manuel’s compassion for their clients drives everything they do, and it is what allowed these families to be compensated for losses that are, in truth, beyond measure.”
Ribbeck Law Chartered represented 93 clients, including passengers and crew members from the two crashes, and coordinated the claims across more than 35 countries where victims resided. (est)
