US judge sets June 23 trial date over Boeing crashes / Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS - AFP/File
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US judge sets June 23 trial date over Boeing crashes
A US federal judge on Tuesday set a trial date of June 23 in the Justice Department's criminal case against aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing over two deadly 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.
In two court filings in Texas, Judge Reed O'Connor said he was vacating an April 11 deadline for Boeing and prosecutors to announce progress on a plea deal, and moving ahead with the trial over the two crashes, in which 346 people died.
In a statement, Boeing said it was still engaged in "good faith discussions" with the Justice Department regarding an "appropriate" resolution of the matter.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the case.
"I am so happy that Judge O'Connor of Texas... has put an end to the delaying tactics of Boeing and the Department of Justice," said Catherine Berthet, whose daughter Camille died in one of the crashes.
"Finally (there is) going to be a trial," Berthet told AFP.
Boeing agreed last July to plead guilty to fraud after the Justice Department found the company failed to improve its compliance and ethics program, in breach of a deferred prosecution agreement following the two deadly MAX crashes.
That deal was concluded in January 2021 to address the disasters in Ethiopia and Indonesia.
But in December, a judge in Texas rejected the 2024 settlement over apparent flaws in the selection process for a monitor to ensure Boeing's compliance, sending the company and the government back to continue discussions.
"For years we have been fighting, and I am fighting, on behalf of the victims and my daughter Camille, for truth and justice," said Berthet.
"A trial is necessary to bring this truth to light."
It was not immediately clear why O'Connor decided to cancel the April 11 deadline for the plea deal and move directly to trial.
S.Vandenberghe--JdB
