A federal jury in Chicago has ordered Boeing to pay $49.5 million in compensatory damages to the family of Samya Stumo, a 24-year-old woman who died in the 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX jet. This verdict marks a significant resolution in one of the final legal battles stemming from the two catastrophic 737 MAX accidents that claimed the lives of 346 people in late 2018 and early 2019.
The jury's decision awarded Stumo's family $21 million to compensate for her harrowing experience during the fatal flight, an additional $16.5 million for the loss of her companionship, and $12 million to address the family's grief. Attorneys for the estate, Shanin Specter and Elizabeth Crawford of Kline & Specter, have indicated their intention to seek punitive damages against Boeing executives and suppliers on appeal, following the earlier dismissal of such claims within the proceedings.
Boeing has previously acknowledged its responsibility for the accidents, which were linked to a flawed flight control system known as the MCAS. The recent trial's sole focus was to determine the amount of compensatory damages owed to the victims' families. The aircraft manufacturer had previously reached an agreement with the Justice Department to avoid criminal prosecution and has since settled numerous other lawsuits with families of those killed in the crashes. However, a limited number of cases, including the Stumo case, proceeded to trial.
Samya Stumo was en route to East Africa for her inaugural assignment with a healthcare-focused NGO when she perished in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019. Her mother, Nadia Milleron, recounted in 2019 that her daughter boarded the plane with complete trust, unaware of the potential dangers posed by the aircraft. "Our daughter got on the plane completely trusting," Milleron told NPR. "She was going on her first assignment in East Africa for an NGO which works on healthcare. And she never dreamed that there would be any problem with the plane itself, and there was a huge problem."
This case is among several that have reached the trial stage. In November 2023, a separate jury awarded the family of Shikha Garg, a United Nations environmental worker also killed in the 2019 crash, more than $28 million in damages. These legal proceedings underscore the ongoing efforts by victims' families to secure accountability from Boeing and federal regulators for the systemic errors that led to the fatal accidents.
Boeing issued a statement expressing profound sorrow for the loss of life on both Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. "We are deeply sorry to all who lost loved ones on Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302," the company stated. "While we have resolved nearly all of these claims through settlements, families are entitled to pursue their claims through the court process, and we respect their right to do so." The Stumo family, alongside families of numerous other victims, has been actively advocating for enhanced accountability from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to prevent future tragedies. Michael Stumo, Samya's father, described his daughter as a "light" and a "leader," conveying the family's deep trauma and their unwavering determination to prevent a recurrence. The family's advocacy efforts extend to pushing for more stringent oversight of aviation safety protocols and corporate responsibility within the industry.
