Boeing’s $100 million pledge for 737 MAX crash victims sparks criticism and questions
Because the money will be disbursed partly to local authorities and communities, families and lawyers expressed fear that some of it will line the pockets of local officials and could even exert Boeing influence on the handling of the investigations by the Indonesian and Ethiopian authorities.
Boeing said Wednesday it will provide the money "over multiple years ... to address family and community needs of those affected by the tragic accidents of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302."
The company said the money is intended to "support education, hardship and living expenses for impacted families, community programs, and economic development in impacted communities."
The donation comes as scores of lawsuits are pending after the two crashes that killed a total of 346 passengers and crew. Boeing spokesman
Boeing said it will work with local governments and nonprofit organizations to deploy the money, over a period of years.
Lawyers from the victims' families reacted negatively Wednesday.
"When the Exxon Valdez went aground in
However, there appears to be no precedent with airplane crashes for a large global payout such as Boeing has promised. Marks said such a payment in advance of any legal settlement is "incredibly unusual" and that he's never seen such a donation in his 35-year career representing victims in major aircraft crashes across the world.
Likewise,
Clifford nonetheless called the payment "disingenuous" and said it's "not going over very well with the families that I have spoken with."
He said the families are "tired of hearing justice and accountability defined only in terms of compensation." He said they want answers about what happened and help in recovering the human remains from the crash site.
Shantel Rehhorn, sister of Canadian victim Angela Rehhorn, issued a statement Wednesday calling Boeing's offer "a slap in the face to all who have lost loved ones."
"I believe this is just their way of trying to win back customers," said Rehhorn.
Marks expressed particular concern that some of the Boeing money will be funneled through the governments in
"It's aimed at influencing those in charge of the investigations, hoping they may not push as hard as they should in uncovering all the facts," said Marks. "Boeing realizes it has a very big problem with public relations and trust in its aircraft, so they are trying to build goodwill and at the same time curry favor with these local authorities charged with investigating the accidents."
"That money shall all be stolen by NGOs and corrupt local government officials if it lands in
Lawsuits on different tracks
Marks said the main concern of the families of the victims is to find out "exactly why these tragedies occurred and what needs done to prevent similar accidents in future." He said they want "full disclosure and complete transparency of all the information" Boeing has related to the cause of the accidents.
The lawsuits brought on behalf of the victims' families in the two accidents are currently on separate tracks.
Over Boeing's objections, the federal judge overseeing the
Plaintiffs will be looking for evidence of Boeing taking shortcuts in the certification process, as well as the design features, pilot training and what actions occurred between the two crashes, Clifford said.
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In this case, some families welcome early settlement talks, but a strong body of families wants answers on what caused the crash, he said.
The lawsuits stemming from the
It's likely that a court in
In the meantime, with this potential change of venue providing some leverage for Boeing, there is a stay on liability claims in the
Marks said that for these families, he's "pursuing an aggressive, fast-paced settlement track."
Perspective on Boeing's donation
The 737 MAX fleet has been grounded worldwide since days after the second crash in March, creating a crisis of confidence for Boeing and upending plans by dozens of its airline customers worldwide.
To put the
Inflation over the ensuing 25 years would boost the expected figure today, though it's also likely that actuarial analyses will pay lower amounts to families in developing countries compared to higher-paid Americans. Still, it's not unreasonable to imagine that Boeing or its insurers may have to pay upward of
This excludes compensation to airline customers and suppliers affected by the grounding of the aircraft.
Last year Boeing spent a total of
At the same time, Boeing returned vastly larger sums to investors in the company.
Last year, Boeing plowed
The Boeing board in December authorized a further
Boeing gave no details Wednesday about how the
It also said company employees can contribute to the fund through Boeing's regular process for employee charitable donations, and those donations made through
In a statement Wednesday accompanying the news, Boeing Chairman and CEO
"We at Boeing are sorry for the tragic loss of lives in both of these accidents and these lives lost will continue to weigh heavily on our hearts and on our minds for years to come. The families and loved ones of those on board have our deepest sympathies, and we hope this initial outreach can help bring them comfort," he said.
"We know every person who steps aboard one of our airplanes places their trust in us. We are focused on re-earning that trust and confidence from our customers and the flying public in the months ahead."
This story has been updated. An earlier version quoted a statement by parents of a crash victim with an incorrect calculation comparing Boeing's proposed share buyback to the fund announced Wednesday.
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