Judge Rejects Boeing's $243M Plea Deal Over 737 MAX Crashes Due to DEI Provisions

Dec 5, 2024, 09:16 PM

A federal judge in Texas, Reed C. O'Connor, has rejected Boeing's $243 million plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in a conspiracy case related to the fatal crashes of its 737 MAX aircraft in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people. The plea deal would have allowed Boeing to plead guilty to fraud charges and pay a fine for misleading U.S. regulators about the safety of the 737 MAX jetliner before the crashes. Judge O'Connor rejected the agreement, citing flaws in how the DOJ intended to use diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) provisions in selecting an independent monitor to oversee Boeing's compliance, expressing concern that the requirement to consider race in hiring minimized the court's role and was inappropriate.