$29 Million Awarded to Family of MAX Crash Victim in Latest Boeing Settlement

A Seattle jury has awarded $29 million to the family of Michael 'Mick' Ryan, an Irish United Nations worker who died in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash. The Boeing 737 MAX was involved in two deadly crashes within months of each other: one off the coast of Indonesia in October 2018 and another in Ethiopia in March 2019.

The trial, which began on August 5 in a Chicago federal court, resolves one of the few remaining cases filed against Boeing by families who lost loved ones in the Ethiopian crash. The company has reached confidential settlements with dozens of victims' families and agreed to avoid criminal prosecution as part of a deal with the Department of Justice.

Boeing admitted sole responsibility for the Ethiopian Airlines crash as part of a 2021 agreement with most of the victims' families, who in turn agreed not to pursue punitive damages. The faulty software system on the MAX was found to have repeatedly forced the plane's nose down, leaving pilots unable to control the aircraft.

The family of Ryan was represented by Steven Marks, a lawyer with Podhurst Orseck, who said the verdict 'represents an important measure of accountability and justice.'