Justice Department offers Boeing plea deal after 737 Max crashes

The Justice Department plans to offer Boeing a settlement related to two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max plane more than five years ago. But the agreement falls short of what the families of the victims of those crashes have sought, an attorney representing the families said Sunday.

In a statement, the lawyers described the offer as a “sweetheart plea deal” and said it would not force Boeing to admit fault in the deaths of the 346 people killed in the crashes in late 2018 and early 2019.

“The families will strongly object to this plea deal,” Paul G. Cassell, an attorney representing families and a law professor at the University of Utah, said in the statement. He added: “The memory of the 346 innocents killed by Boeing demands more justice than this.”

The deal would include a fine, three years’ probation and the appointment of an outside monitor, Mr. Cassell said. The Justice Department met with the families on Sunday afternoon.

It was not immediately clear whether the Justice Department had formally made the offer to Boeing. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Boeing declined to comment.

This is a development story. Check back for updates.