Boeing has reached an initial settlement with the survivors of the Lion Air crash of a 737 Max 8 in October last year, Reuters reports. The crash killed 189 people and was one of the reasons the Max 8 plane was grounded.
Floyd Wisner, who represents 17 of the surviving families who lost relatives when the new jetliner crashed, has settled 11 lawsuits with the planemaker. The cases are the first to reach a settlement, according to Reuters. Boeing has been sued by more than 50 plaintiffs since the Lion Air crash, the news agency reports.
Most of the counterparties in the settlements were Indonesian families, writes Reuters, noting that the amounts would likely have been higher if the accident had occurred in Boeing's home country, the United States.
Despite the settlements, Boeing has denied responsibility, according to Floyd Wisner.
In the wake of the second accident involving a Boeing 737 Max 8, in Ethiopia in January, the aircraft manufacturer has been sued in over 100 additional cases.
An investigation led by the US Department of Justice is underway against Boeing, where authorities are investigating the development process surrounding the plane and the autopilot system that is suspected of causing the crashes.
The aircraft manufacturer's own forecast for return to service is the fourth quarter of this year after the certification process with the US Federal Aviation Administration is resumed. However, this is an estimate that many of Boeing's customers, including Norwegian and Ryanair, have rejected.
Boeing has estimated the costs of the halt to the best-selling model at $8 billion.
Source:News Agency Direct
