The Justice Department is set to offer Boeing a plea deal in connection with two fatal 737 Max crashes more than five years ago, but the agreement falls short of what the families of those crash victims had sought, a lawyer for the families said Sunday.
In a statement, the lawyers described the offer as a “sweet plea deal” and said it does not require Boeing to admit liability for the deaths of the 346 people who died in the crashes in late 2018 and early 2019.
“The families will vigorously oppose this plea agreement,” their attorney, Paul G. Cassell, a law professor at the University of Utah, said in a statement. “The memory of the 346 innocent people killed by Boeing demands more justice than this.”
Cassell said the settlement includes a fine, three years' probation and the appointment of an outside monitor. The Justice Department is scheduled to meet with the families on Sunday afternoon.
It was not immediately clear whether the Justice Department had made a formal proposal to Boeing. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Boeing declined to comment.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.