Lawyers advise Ethiopian Airlines not to accept Boeing settlement over 737 Max crash

Ethiopian Airlines CEO, Tewolde GabreMariam paid tribute to the crew and passengers of flight ET302, the 737 Max8 aircraft, that crashed  in early 2019.  Image:  Ethiopian AfAE News

In a letter sent on Sunday, the Chicago-based lawyers warned Ethiopian CEO Tewolde GebreMariam that the offer falls “grossly short” of what the airline could win before a U.S. jury — particularly since Boeing recently accepted responsibility for criminal fraud during the plane’s certification by regulators.

It added that what Boeing has offered is “a mere fraction” of the actual damage, and accepting it “will inevitably leave substantial money on the table and would be a tremendous political and financial mistake for Ethiopian Airlines.”