The Justice Department plans to offer Boeing a plea agreement in connection with two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft more than five years ago, but the deal would fall short of what families of victims of those crashes are seeking, a lawyer representing the victims' families said on Sunday.
In a statement, lawyers called the offer 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 vigorously oppose this plea deal,” Paul G. Cassel, a lawyer representing the families and a law professor at the University of Utah, said in a statement. “The memory of the 346 innocent people killed by Boeing demands more justice than this.”
The agreement would include fines, three years of probation and the appointment of an outside monitor, Mr. Castle said. The Justice Department was meeting with the families on Sunday afternoon.
It's not yet clear whether the Justice Department has formally made the offer to Boeing. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Boeing declined to comment.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.