Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX Crash: Boeing’s Last-Minute Settlement with Canadian Man Avoids Trial
On July 11, 2025, Boeing reached a last-minute settlement with Paul Njoroge, a Canadian man who lost his wife, three children, and mother-in-law in the tragic March 2019 crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, averting what would have been the first civil trial related to the Boeing 737 MAX disasters. The agreement, finalized just days before a jury trial was set to begin in Chicago’s federal court, underscores Boeing’s ongoing efforts to resolve legal battles stemming from the catastrophic crashes that killed 346 people across two incidents in 2018 and 2019. This blog examines the settlement, the context of the Ethiopian Airlines crash, and the broader implications for Boeing and aviation safety as of July 12, 2025.
The Ethiopian Airlines Crash: A Tragic Loss
On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, crashed six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport en route to Nairobi, Kenya. All 157 passengers and crew perished when the aircraft plummeted into a barren field due to a malfunction in the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). The system, triggered by faulty sensor data, repeatedly forced the plane’s nose downward, overwhelming the pilots’ efforts to regain control. The tragedy followed a similar 2018 Lion Air 737 MAX crash in Indonesia, which killed 189 people, leading to a 20-month global grounding of the 737 MAX fleet and costing Boeing over $20 billion in damages, settlements, and lost revenue.
Paul Njoroge, a 41-year-old Canadian, suffered an unimaginable loss. His wife, Carolyne, their children—Ryan (6), Kellie (4), and Rubi (9 months, the youngest victim)—and his mother-in-law, Anne Wangui Karanja, were among the victims from 35 countries. Njoroge, who met Carolyne in college in Nairobi and was living in Toronto at the time, planned to join his family in Kenya later. He testified before Congress in 2019, describing the haunting six minutes of the flight, saying, “I stay up nights thinking of the horror they must have endured. I was not there to help them. I couldn’t save them.” The emotional toll has prevented him from returning to his Toronto home, finding employment, and even facing criticism from relatives for not traveling with his family.
The Settlement: Averting a High-Stakes Trial
The trial, scheduled for July 14, 2025, in Chicago’s U.S. District Court, was set to determine compensatory damages for Njoroge’s profound emotional and psychological trauma. Represented by Clifford Law Offices, led by attorney Robert Clifford, Njoroge was prepared to testify about his grief and loss. However, a mediator facilitated a confidential settlement, announced on July 11, sparing Boeing from a public trial that could have intensified scrutiny on its safety practices and corporate accountability. The terms of the settlement remain undisclosed, consistent with Boeing’s approach to over 90% of the civil lawsuits related to the 737 MAX crashes, which have cost the company billions in compensation, lawsuits, and a deferred prosecution agreement.
Boeing’s strategy of settling at the eleventh hour is not new. In April 2025, the company avoided another trial by settling with the families of two other victims, Antoine Lewis and Darcy Belanger, just before proceedings began. Lewis, a U.S. Army captain, and Belanger, a UN Environmental Assembly speaker, were among the diverse victims of Flight 302. These settlements reflect Boeing’s efforts to minimize public exposure of technical details and corporate missteps, particularly regarding the MCAS system, which was redesigned after the crashes under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight.
Boeing’s Accountability and Legal Battles
In 2021, Boeing accepted full responsibility for the Ethiopian Airlines crash, admitting that the 737 MAX had an “unsafe condition” due to the MCAS design. This agreement allowed victims’ families to pursue claims in U.S. courts under Illinois law, rather than in their home countries, in exchange for not seeking punitive damages, thus limiting Boeing’s financial liability. The move was hailed as a “significant milestone” by lawyers like Robert Clifford, enabling equitable compensation for families from 35 nations.
Boeing’s legal woes extend beyond civil lawsuits. In January 2021, the company settled with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for $2.5 billion, including a $500 million fund for victims’ families, to resolve a criminal fraud probe over misleading regulators about the MCAS system. However, in May 2024, the DOJ found Boeing had violated this deferred prosecution agreement, leading to a new plea deal in July 2024. Boeing agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge and pay up to $487.2 million, avoiding a felony conviction and independent oversight for three years. Relatives of crash victims, including Njoroge’s legal team, have criticized this as a “sweetheart deal,” arguing it fails to hold Boeing accountable. A potential criminal trial looms in Texas on June 23, 2026, if the plea deal is rejected.
Broader Context: Renewed Scrutiny on Boeing
The settlement comes amid heightened scrutiny of Boeing, exacerbated by a recent Air India 787 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, India, on June 12, 2025, which killed over 260 people due to cockpit error, not a technical fault. This incident, unrelated to the 737 MAX, has intensified public and regulatory focus on Boeing’s safety culture, especially after a January 2024 Alaska Airlines 737 MAX incident where a door plug component blew out mid-flight. These events underscore ongoing challenges for Boeing, despite its efforts to address the 737 MAX’s technical flaws.
Posts on X, including those from @Reuters and @chicagotribune, reflect public sentiment, noting Boeing’s pattern of last-minute settlements to avoid trials. While some praise the resolution for sparing families prolonged legal battles, others, like victims’ relatives, express frustration over Boeing’s ability to evade full accountability.
Implications for Aviation Safety and Victims’ Families
The settlement with Njoroge marks another step in Boeing’s efforts to close the chapter on the 737 MAX crashes, with over 90% of related civil lawsuits resolved. However, an upcoming trial on November 3, 2025, will see Clifford Law Offices representing families of six more victims, indicating that legal battles persist. The global grounding of the 737 MAX from 2019 to 2020 prompted significant safety reforms, including MCAS redesigns and enhanced pilot training, but public trust in Boeing remains fragile.
For families like Njoroge’s, settlements provide financial relief but cannot erase the emotional scars. The diversity of victims—from aid workers to UN delegates—highlights the global impact of the crashes. As Mark Pegram, father of a British victim, told the BBC in 2021, Boeing’s admission of liability was a “main positive” for not deflecting blame onto pilots or Ethiopian Airlines, offering a measure of closure.
Conclusion
Boeing’s last-minute settlement with Paul Njoroge averts a high-profile trial over the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crash, sparing the company from further public examination of its role in the disaster that killed 157 people, including Njoroge’s entire family. While the confidential agreement provides some resolution, it highlights Boeing’s strategy of settling over 90% of related lawsuits to avoid courtrooms. As the company navigates ongoing legal, regulatory, and public relations challenges—compounded by recent incidents like the Air India crash—the 737 MAX saga remains a stark reminder of the human cost of corporate failures and the long road to rebuilding trust in aviation safety. For updates, refer to credible sources like Reuters or the Chicago Tribune.
Disclaimer: Settlement details are confidential, and some claims, including victim sentiments, are based on available reports. Always verify with official sources for the latest developments.
