Boeing, crash victims' lawyers negotiate over access to 737 MAX
documents
The Boeing logo is displayed on a screen, at the
NYSE in New York
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Boeing Co and lawyers
representing families of victims of a 737 MAX crash agreed in court on Wednesday
to hold a conference call with U.S. government crash probe authorities over
access to documents related to the now-grounded aircraft's design, development
and two fatal disasters involving it.
Boeing has resisted sharing
documents sought by lawyers representing families of victims of an Ethiopian
Airlines 737 MAX crash on March 10, which killed 157 people five months after a
similar Lion Air disaster in which 189 people died.
The lawyers, who are
asking why the MAX continued flying after the first crash, say the materials are
critical for assessing liability by Boeing and punitive damages.
"They're
hot documents," Robert Clifford, lead counsel for the plaintiffs, told
reporters, saying some show what and when Boeing knew about factors that played
a role in the Lion Air accident.
Boeing has argued that the U.S. National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is restricting release of the documents under
international guidelines on crash probes and that they are
confidential.
The plane, once Boeing's fastest-selling jet, has been
grounded globally since mid-March while Boeing addresses software and training
issues involved in both disasters, costing the planemaker nearly $19
billion.
The NTSB seemed to switch its stance on some of the documents in
a Feb. 18 letter to Boeing, one topic of Wednesday's hearing in U.S. federal
court in Chicago before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Weisman.
Boeing and
the plaintiffs' lawyers agreed to brief the court on the outcome of a conference
call with NTSB assistant general counsel Benjamin Allen scheduled for
Thursday.
Chicago-based Boeing is in the process of settling a separate
batch of lawsuits related to the Lion Air crash, but families of the Ethiopian
crash are seeking a jury trial.
Following 737 MAX testimony from Boeing
executives at congressional hearings in Washington, Ethiopian crash victim
lawyers want to know whether the planemaker hid materials.
Dan Webb, a
lawyer for Boeing, rejected in court the notion that documents have been hidden,
saying that some "haven't been produced yet."
"Boeing takes very
seriously its legal obligations and is working with the plaintiffs in good
faith, and consistent with our obligations as a technical advisor to the NTSB,
to provide the information they need to pursue their claims," the company said
in an emailed statement, adding that it was cooperating fully with investigative
authorities.
A Lion Air investigation faulted Boeing's design of the 737
MAX but said the airline also made mistakes.
The Ethiopian probe is still
ongoing, nearly a year after the crash.
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