US jury: Boeing owes over $28m to family of victim

A US jury in the first civil trial over a fatal Boeing 737 MAX crash determined this week that the aircraft manufacturing giant owes $28.45 million (about R483m) to the family of a newlywed Indian victim.

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PEOPLE stand near collected debris at the crash site of Ethiopia Airlines near Bishoftu, a town some 60km south-east of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

(AFP)

The case involves the survivors of Shikha Garg of New Delhi, who died in the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash, one of two fatal MAX crashes that together claimed 346 lives.

After about two hours of deliberation, a jury in federal court in Chicago returned with an award that included $10m for grief, $10m for Garg’s pain and suffering, and other compensation.

“We happily accept the verdict. We came here for a jury trial and it’s absolutely acceptable,” Garg's widower, Soumya Bhattacharya, said.

Boeing expressed regret about the deadly accidents.

“We are deeply sorry to all who lost loved ones on Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302,” a Boeing spokesperson said.