A US judge has rejected Boeing’s guilty plea agreement stemming from twin crashes of the 737 Max, citing diversity, equity and inclusion considerations in selecting a monitor to oversee compliance. Judge Reed O’Connor in northern Texas said the inclusion of DEI considerations in selecting a corporate monitor for Boeing would “undermine confidence” that the selection was based on competency.
The system was later implicated in the crashes, five months apart, that killed a combined 346 people. The justice department returned to the deferred prosecution this year after a door panel blew off a Max at 16,000 feet during a commercial flight. Prosecutors argued Boeing failed to live up to the terms of its earlier agreement.