UN Staffer's Family Awarded $29 Million in Boeing 737 MAX Crash Lawsuit

A Chicago jury has awarded $29 million in damages to the family of an Irish-born United Nations employee who died in the 2019 crash of a Boeing 737 MAX. The civil lawsuit was brought against Boeing by Naoise Connolly Ryan, the widow of Michael "Mick" Ryan, an engineer with the UN World Food Programme.

Ryan was one of 157 people killed when the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in March 2019. The crash was the second fatal accident involving the 737 MAX, following the loss of a Lion Air flight in Indonesia in October 2018. Both crashes were attributed to a flaw in the aircraft's flight control software.

Boeing has faced numerous lawsuits and investigations following the grounding of its 737 MAX fleet worldwide. The company has since made changes to the software and implemented new pilot training protocols. The settlement with Ryan's family is one of several expected as the company seeks to resolve claims stemming from the accidents.

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The civil lawsuit was brought against Boeing by Naoise Connolly Ryan, the widow of Michael “Mick” Ryan, an engineer with the UN World Food Programme.