(New York) Boeing shareholders have reached an out-of-court settlement with current and former directors of the aircraft manufacturer whom they accused of negligence providing for compensation to the tune of about $ 225 million, reported Thursday. Wall Street Journal.
Asked by AFP, lawyers for the shareholders and Boeing did not follow up immediately.
In June 2020, investors seized the Court of the Chancery of Delaware (Court of Chancery), a court specializing in disputes concerning shares and title deeds.
They criticized the members of the board as well as several managers for not having ensured the existence and proper functioning of control and information instruments relating to the safety of the 737 MAX.
Launched in 2011 and put into service for the first time in 2017, this aircraft was involved in two crashes, one of the company Lion Air in October 2018 and the other of Ethiopian Airlines in March 2019, which made 346 total deaths.
Investigations have revealed that these accidents were linked to the Anti-Stall System (MCAS).
Shareholders highlighted the fact that none of the board committees deal specifically with safety.
Based on internal documents, they claimed that even after the October 2018 crash, the council had taken no specific action regarding the safety of the 737 MAX, even as several press articles reported on the alleged role of MCAS. in the crash.
Among those targeted by the procedure are several former CEOs of Boeing, but also the current CEO, David Calhoun.
According to Wall Street Journal, the indemnities will not be paid by the directors and officers themselves, but by insurers.
The agreement, which could be on file as early as Friday and will have to be approved by the court, should not include recognition of negligence on the part of those prosecuted, according to the financial daily.
On the other hand, it provides for the appointment of a referent mediator for internal affairs and the appointment of an administrator with experience in aeronautical safety.
The 737 MAX was banned from flying around the world in March 2019, before being cleared to sail again in November 2020.