Jury's Decision in Stumo Case
A federal jury in Chicago awarded $49.5 million to the family of Samya Stumo on Wednesday, who died in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash. Stumo was 24 years old. The verdict resolves one of the last remaining cases from the two 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people.
Compensatory Damages Awarded
The jury awarded $21 million for Stumo's experience on the fatal flight. The family also received $16.5 million for the loss of her companionship and $12 million for their grief, according to attorneys Shanin Specter and Elizabeth Crawford of Kline & Specter. The attorneys said they will pursue punitive damages against Boeing executives and suppliers, after those claims were dismissed.
Boeing's Response and Prior Settlements
Boeing admitted responsibility for the crash. The company previously reached an agreement with the Justice Department to avoid criminal prosecution. Boeing also agreed to confidential settlements in dozens of lawsuits brought by family members of the crash victims.
Family's Pursuit of Accountability
Michael Stumo, Samya's father, said in 2019, "We're traumatized. We don't want to be doing this. But we want to avoid a third crash." Since the crashes, Stumo's family has joined with other victims' families to hold Boeing and federal regulators accountable.
Other Victims' Families
In November, a jury awarded more than $28 million to the family of Shikha Garg, a United Nations environmental worker who also died in the 2019 crash. Nadia Milleron, Stumo's mother, said in 2019 that her daughter was going on her first assignment in East Africa for an NGO that works on healthcare.
