This archive report was first published on 12 August 2019.
Published on August 12, 2019, investigations into Boeing's role in the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes continue to unfold in the US. Federal prosecutors are quietly gathering information to determine if criminal conduct contributed to the two deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia.
Just a day after some Kenyan families who lost loved ones in the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines plane crash filed a lawsuit against Boeing in Seattle, US-based lawyer Shakespear Feyissa expressed his hope that the company would be held accountable for its actions.
'Boeing should be punished for its recklessness by designing and manufacturing a defective plane that caused innocent lives,' Mr Feyissa said during a meeting with Kenyan lawyers.
Despite the lawsuit, only eight out of 32 Kenyan families who lost loved ones in the crash have taken action against Boeing. Many others have opted to sue Ethiopian Airlines, unaware that they can also pursue a claim against the aircraft manufacturer in the US.
Kenyan lawyers Irungu Kang'ata and Gachie Mwanza have teamed up with US-based lawyers to file a civil conspiracy suit against Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). They claim that the two entities colluded to authorize the release of an unsafe aircraft into the market.
The lawsuit also accuses Boeing of negligence and bad conduct, citing the company's decision to continue flying the 737 MAX aircraft despite knowing they were defective.
While the exact compensation amount has not been disclosed, sources close to the matter indicate that the lawyers are seeking $800 million (Sh82.6 billion) in damages.
