US judge rejects family members' bid to reopen crashed Boeing 737 MAX plea deal

Representative image. Credit: Reuters File Photo

A US judge in Texas late on Thursday denied a legal bid by families of the victims of two Boeing 737 MAX crashes to reopen or reject a January 2021 deferred prosecution agreement.

Boeing won immunity from criminal prosecution as part its $2.5 billion Justice Department deferred prosecution agreement over a 737 MAX fraud conspiracy charge related to the plane's flawed design.

Also Read | US board says Boeing Max likely hit a bird before 2019 crash

US District Judge Reed O'Connor ruled he did not have legal authority to grant the relatives' request, saying he had "immense sympathy for the victims and loved ones of those who died in the tragic plane crashes resulting from Boeing’s criminal conspiracy.