By now, everyone must have read about the issues that Boeing has with its 737 Max jets. Those planes are still grounded and many flights have been canceled. Some of them through next year. But a group of airline passengers claim that Boeing and Southwest Airlines conspired to mislead customers into believing that Boeing 737 Max jets were safer than they are. The customers say that there is a “fatal design defect” in the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. This is a separate lawsuit from the one shareholders filed against Boeing earlier this year.
This defect has reportedly been linked to two Boeing 737 Max 8 crashes. First there was the Lion Air Flight 610 crash that killed 189 people in October 2018 and more recently the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash that killed 157 people in March.
According to the Southwest Boeing antitrust class action lawsuit, Southwest Airlines is one of Boeing’s biggest domestic customers, and was a “launch carrier” for a new line of fuel-efficient Max 8 jets. Allegedly, being a “launch carrier” for the planes meant that the airline had a role in developing and customizing the planes.
Customers in the Southwest collusion class action lawsuits assert that in its role as a launch carrier for Boeing, Southwest received incentives to not conduct as extensive testing as it otherwise would, in attempt to speed up the release of the new aircraft.
The plaintiffs say that “Southwest’s involvement with testing was extensive but wrought with incentives to cut corners and skirt rules.” You can read more details at TopClassActions.
Lawsuit Details
The Southwest Boeing 737 Defect Collusion Class Action Lawsuit is Earl, et al. v. The Boeing Company, et al., Case No. 4:19-cv-00507, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
