The Lawyers representing families of passengers killed in a Boeing 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia in March are set to issue subpoenas to Southwest Airlines
and American Airlines the two biggest U.S. operators of the jet, according to documents seen by Reuters.
The subpoenas will be issued over the
next couple of days, the lawyers separately told Reuters.
The lawyers want
to know what Boeing Co promised potential
airline customers about flight crew training and the 737 MAX certification
process, and its communications with the two airlines following a Lion Air
crash in Indonesia on Oct. 29, 2018, and before the Ethiopian Airlines crash on
March 10.
They are seeking documents
about 737 MAX software known as MCAS widely linked to both deadly crashes, as
well as information on the aircraft’s sensors.
The two crashes, both
involving 737 MAX jets, killed 346 people and spurred more than 100 lawsuits against
the Chicago-based planemaker.
Southwest and American did not
immediately comment outside normal business hours.
The 737 MAX was grounded
globally following the Ethiopian crash in March, and Boeing has been working to
deliver software fixes aimed at winning fresh approval for commercial flight in
the fourth quarter. Southwest and American have each canceled more than 100
daily flights.
While families of the Lion
Air crash victims are in settlement talks with Boeing, the Ethiopian crash
victims are pursuing a jury trial.
Both cases are in Chicago
federal court, where a Lion Air status hearing is taking place on Thursday.
In a court filing late
Monday, Boeing said veteran litigator Dan Webb, a high-profile Chicago lawyer
and former U.S. Attorney, had joined its legal team in the Lion Air case.
In addition to the Chicago
cases, questions about how Boeing designed and developed the 737 MAX are a
focus in probes by the U.S. Department of Justice and a Congressional
committee.
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