A Chicago jury has awarded USD 29 million in compensatory damages to the family of Michael Ryan, an Irish aid worker who died alongside 157 others in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX Flight 302 in March 2019.
The lawsuit was filed by Ryan’s widow, Naoise Connolly Ryan, after her attorney, Steven Marks, noted that the family preferred a jury verdict over a confidential out-of-court agreement.
Ryan was reported to be a veteran humanitarian who served in several crises, including work during the West African Ebola outbreak and assistance to Rohingya refugees. UN records also note his contributions across Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Ethiopia.
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This judgment follows another major verdict against Boeing, where a jury awarded $49.5 million to the family of 24-year-old passenger Samya Stumo. While most wrongful death claims linked to the 346 total deaths from the 2018 and 2019 737 MAX disasters were resolved privately, these court proceedings were among the few to reach trial. Boeing has since issued apologies and confirmed that issues with its Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) played a role in both crashes.
