Boeing bears 100 percent responsibility for the 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that killed 156 people, according to a civil jury verdict reached in Chicago. Naoise Connolly Ryan, widow of victim Mick Ryan, was awarded $29m (€25m) in damages, marking the first time a public court has recorded the manufacturer’s total liability for the disaster.
The Legal Battle for Accountability in Chicago Courts
For seven years, families of the victims pursued accountability through criminal courts without success, according to court records. Naoise Connolly Ryan took up the civil case after criminal proceedings stalled. A Chicago jury ultimately delivered the $29m (€25m) verdict, establishing a formal record of full corporate liability.
“I would never have taken this civil case if we had achieved justice through the criminal court system, but now Boeing has said they are 100% responsible for the crash,” Ms Connolly Ryan said, speaking from Chicago.
Contrasting Civil Judgments With Criminal Proceedings
In January 2023, Boeing withdrew its guilty plea during a Texas criminal hearing concerning the 737 Max crashes. At that time, the presiding judge characterized the corporate actions as “one of the deadliest corporate crimes in the history of the United States.” Despite that assessment, the criminal court system did not secure a conviction holding the company to account.
Did you know? The 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash occurred just six minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa, following a similar 2018 Lion Air crash in Jakarta that claimed 190 lives. Both disasters involved faults in the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
Honoring the Victims and Supporting Witnesses
The litigation centered on the specific loss of Mick Ryan, an award-winning UN engineer and father of two who worked on life-saving humanitarian projects in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Former colleagues traveled from as far away as Turkey to testify, helping legal counsel reconstruct his life and career during the proceedings.
“My lawyers did all they could to bring Mick back to life in the court,” Ms Connolly Ryan stated, emphasizing that the victory honors all 157 individuals who died on March 10, 2019.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much was the civil jury award against Boeing?
A Chicago jury awarded $29m (€25m) in damages to Naoise Connolly Ryan.
Did Boeing admit liability in court?
Yes. According to court proceedings, Boeing admitted 100 percent responsibility for the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash for the first time in a public courtroom.
What caused the 737 Max crashes?
Boeing admitted that a fault in its flight-stabilising system, known as the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), led to both the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash and the 2018 Jakarta crash.
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