US Jury Awards $63 Million to Family of Boeing 737 MAX Crash Victim

A US jury in Chicago has awarded $49.5 million (approximately S$63 million) in damages to the family of Samya Stumo, a 24-year-old American who died in the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crash. The verdict, delivered on May 13, 2026, marks a rare trial outcome as nearly all other civil lawsuits related to the deadly crashes were settled out of court. The Stumo family could not reach an agreement with Boeing prior to the trial, which began on May 11. During proceedings, the family’s lawyer argued that Boeing was negligent and produced an unsafe aircraft, while Boeing expressed sorrow but contested only the compensation amount. The 2019 crash in Ethiopia, linked to faulty anti-stall software, killed 157 people and followed a similar Lion Air disaster in Indonesia months earlier, totaling 346 deaths. Although criminal charges against Boeing were dropped in 2025, civil litigation continues. This case follows a November 2025 award of $28.45 million to another victim's widower, with further trials scheduled for later in 2026.