USD 25 Billion in Damages for the Deadliest Crime in US History

Paul Cassel, the family's lawyer, said it was reasonable given the enormous human cost of Boeing's crimes. The BBC has seen a 32-page document in which Cassell says the US government should prosecute those who ran the firm when accidents in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people.

Two tragic summers

In October 2018, all 189 passengers on board a Lion Air flight were killed when the plane crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia. In March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed six minutes after takeoff from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. All 157 passengers died.

Both accidents were linked to malfunctioning flight control systems. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told Congress that the company had made some mistakes and had now learned the lessons of the past. He also acknowledged that Boeing had "retaliated" against whistleblowers, emphasizing how the company had listened to those employees.

"We will not stop until we see justice"

The Justice Department is considering reopening a fraud charge against Boeing filed in 2021 that was linked to two crashes. The decision should be made by July 7. Families of those killed in the crashes attended a congressional hearing on Tuesday, holding photos of their loved ones.

"I flew from England to Washington DC to hear in person what the CEO of Boeing has to say to the Senate and the world about safety improvements," said Zipporah Kuria, whose father died in the crash in 2019. "I also continue to press the US government to Hold Boeing and its executives criminally responsible for the deaths of 346 people. We will not stop until we see justice."