A federal jury in Chicago has ordered Boeing to pay $49.5 million to the family of Samya Stumo, a 24-year-old victim of the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash. The verdict addresses compensatory damages following the disaster, which involved the loss of all 157 people on board.
This ruling represents one of the final wrongful death lawsuits associated with the 737 MAX crashes. Boeing has previously reached confidential settlements for the majority of these claims. However, this case follows a similar November 2025 jury award of $28.45 million, indicating that some families continue to pursue litigation through the court process.
For industry observers, these trials highlight the financial scale of Boeing’s remaining legal exposure related to the 737 MAX flight-control system failures. While the manufacturer has accepted liability for the crashes, the ongoing court awards serve as a reminder of the lasting regulatory and financial consequences stemming from the program’s safety crisis. The verdict underscores the continued pressure on Boeing as it addresses the final stages of its post-crash litigation efforts.