Aviation

Aviation attorneys at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago, internationally recognized for excellence in aviation law, are considering the causes of the crash of an ATR 72 turboprop twin engine plane that crashed about 50 miles short of its destination in Sao Paulo, Brazil, killing all 62 on board on Friday, August 9, 2024. Highly experienced with that aircraft in particular, aviation attorneys at Clifford Law Offices said every possibility has to be considered when a…

Kevin P. Durkin, partner at Clifford Law Offices, joined an international panel of lawyers and spoke on September 4, 2024, in London on product liability issues and claims, including the differences in defending them in the UK and US. “Running product liability, aviation and mass tort claims in the UK & US” Conference is sponsored by Outer Chambers in England. Durkin spoke on “Holding Boeing to Account – the 737 MAX Litigation.” Durkin, representing victims…

Tracy A. Brammeier, partner at Clifford Law Offices, spoke at the 14th Annual McGill Conference on International Aviation Liability, Insurance, and Finance. The event, sponsored by the McGill University Institute of Air and Space Law, was held on September 13-14, 2024, in Montreal. Brammeier spoke on a panel addressing “Liability of Air Carriers.” Brammeier handles complex and catastrophic transportation matters with the firm, currently serving as Liaison Counsel in the pending litigation in federal district…

The Justice Department announced in a court filing that Boeing will plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the FAA about the safety of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft late Sunday (July 7, 2024). The Justice Department announced the agreement in a filing with federal district court Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas. Families who lost loved ones in two Boeing 737 MAX crashes quickly filed in that same court an objection to the deal….

Attorneys and families reacted vehemently during a near two-hour meeting Sunday (June 30, 2024) with the head of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Fraud Division and other DOJ lawyers regarding the next steps it intends to take regarding Boeing following two crashes and other safety concerns at the aircraft manufacturer. The DOJ presented what families and lawyers termed a “sweetheart deal” that will be asking Boeing to accept several terms that they disagreed with and…

The families who lost loved ones in the crashes of two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft sent a letter Wednesday, June 19, 2024, to the Justice Department, seeking aggressive prosecution of The Boeing Company and criminal prosecution of its then-corporate leadership. Sent by Professor Paul Cassell of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, the 32-page letter asks for a substantial fine, the imposition of corporate monitoring on Boeing, and criminal prosecution…

Several family members of the 157 crash victims of a Boeing 737 MAX8 in Ethiopia attended a U.S. Senate hearing on June 18, 2024, when Boeing CEO David Calhoun testified before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations regarding “Boeing’s Broken Safety Culture.” Families from various countries stated they wanted to hear Calhoun “face to face” on the current state of Boeing’s safety culture. Chaired by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the hearing was held at the Hart…

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) told family members Friday, May 31, that it has not made a decision yet as to the direction it intends regarding the prosecution of Boeing for the deaths of 346 people in two crashes involving its aircraft some five years ago. During the meeting, family members expressed great concern over thinking the DOJ would negotiate a plea agreement that could limit future action to fines, restitution, and other court-ordered…

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will again meet with victims’ families of the Boeing 737 MAX8 crashes on Friday, May 31, 2024, following the Department’s decision that Boeing violated the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) entered into three years ago with the airline manufacturer. The families will seek justice and accountability by asking the DOJ to move Boeing’s criminal prosecution forward in the normal pattern for criminal cases. Specifically, the families will ask for a…