Jury Orders Boeing to Pay $49.5 Million in Damages for 2019 Ethiopia Crash Victim

A federal jury in Chicago has ordered Boeing to pay $49.5 million in damages to the family of Samya Stumo, a 24-year-old global health worker killed in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash. The verdict resolves one of the last remaining wrongful death lawsuits related to the disaster, which claimed 157 lives. Jurors awarded $21 million for Stumo's pain and suffering, $16.5 million for loss of companionship, and $12 million for grief. Boeing had previously accepted liability, leaving the trial focused solely on calculating compensatory damages. This case follows a similar November 2025 verdict awarding $28.45 million to the family of another victim, Shikha Garg. Most other claims were settled confidentially. The crashes, caused by a faulty flight-control system, triggered a worldwide grounding of the 737 Max and intense scrutiny of Boeing’s safety culture. A Boeing spokesperson expressed sorrow for the losses while respecting the families' right to pursue legal claims. The incident remains a defining crisis for the aerospace giant, involving ongoing criminal charges regarding misleading regulators.