The families of victims of the two Boeing crashes of the 737-MAX8 jet have sent a letter to newly-appointed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi asking for a meeting as soon as possible regarding the ongoing criminal litigation involving two crashes that killed 346 people. The families also have asked for a meeting with the new U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy.
Paul Cassell, pro bono attorney for the families in this case and professor of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, sent the letter Thursday, Feb. 4, 2025, to Bondi (a copy of it is attached below) saying “…families would respectfully request that you reverse the deceptive approach of the previous Administration and direct the Department’s prosecutors to present to the district court all the relevant facts that the Department possesses.”
Cassell said, “The families would like to confer about the Department’s plans and particularly to urge the Department to reveal to the judge handling the case all relevant information concerning Boeing’s deadly crime.”
The letter pointed out that the families have been asking the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to do the right thing with a new plea agreement that holds Boeing and its then-executives accountable for criminally causing two plane crashes that killed 346 people. The families have been found to be crime victims in federal court under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act. The letter stated the court found “that Boeing’s lies to the FAA directly and proximately led to the two plane crashes.”
U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor, who is overseeing the criminal matter, has set a February 16 deadline for the DOJ Fraud Section of the Criminal Division in Washington, D.C., to respond to the court regarding the deceptive plea agreement entered into by DOJ and Boeing. Judge O’Connor had rejected the initial plea agreement on Dec. 5.
The Judge concluded in 2022 that Boeing’s lies constituted the “deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history.” And the judge concluded that the Department had violated the families’ CVRA right to confer with prosecutors before the DPA was reached. In December, Judge O’Connor of Texas wrote in a 12-page opinion that, despite a deferred prosecution agreement to allow Boeing to correct its errors, over the last three years, “it is fair to say the government’s attempt to assure [Boeing’s] compliance has failed.”
Below is a copy of the letter as well as petitions signed by hundreds of families, friends, and members of the concerned flying public who are requesting meetings with the new administration.
For further information, contact Clifford Law Offices Communications Partner Pamela Sakowicz Menaker at 847-721-0909 (cell) or Pammenaker@cliffordlaw.com.