A jury in Chicago awarded $29 million in damages to the family of Michael Ryan, an Irish UN employee who died in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crash. His widow brought a civil suit against the aircraft manufacturer.
This verdict highlights ongoing legal accountability for the Boeing 737 MAX crashes, which resulted in significant loss of life and grounded the aircraft globally. It underscores the financial and reputational consequences for manufacturers when safety systems fail.
A jury in Chicago has awarded $29 million in damages to the family of Michael Ryan, an Irish employee of the United Nations World Food Programme who died in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crash. His widow, Naoise Connolly Ryan, brought a civil suit against the aircraft manufacturer.
Lawyers for Ryan's family stated that the verdict represents "an important measure of accountability and justice." Steven C Marks, the attorney who represented Connolly Ryan, noted that while no financial award can replace a life, the jury's decision is a significant milestone in holding Boeing accountable.
A Boeing spokesperson expressed deep sorrow for all who lost loved ones in the crash, stating that the company respects families' right to pursue their claims through the court process, even though most claims have been settled.
Michael Ryan was an engineer who worked with the UN World Food Programme, contributing to aid efforts in various countries, including organizing shelter construction for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and building medical centers during the Ebola outbreak in Liberia. His impact was described as worldwide.
The Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 crashed on March 10, 2019, shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board. Preliminary reports indicated that an automated safety system, similar to one implicated in the Lion Air Flight 610 crash, repeatedly pushed the plane's nose down, despite pilot efforts to regain control.