A US jury awarded $49.5 million in damages on Wednesday to the family of a 24-year-old American who perished in a 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crash.
Literacy initiative expands further with a donation of 2,010 trolley libraries, including braille books to cater for different learner abilitiesFriday 15 May 2026 - 06:00am CHICAGO - A US jury awarded $49.5 million in damages on Wednesday to the family of a 24-year-old American who perished in a 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crash.
The suit was brought by relatives of Samya Stumo, who died in the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash which claimed a total of 157 lives. The Chicago jury, which deliberated for around two hours, found that"the total amount of damages suffered by Plaintiff is $49.5 million," according to documents. Nearly all of the civil lawsuits around the crash had been settled out of court.
In Stumo's case, however, her family had been unable to reach an agreement with Boeing ahead of the trial, which began on Monday.
"We are deeply sorry to all who lost loved ones on Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302," Boeing said in a statement. "While we have resolved nearly all of these claims through settlements, families are entitled to pursue their claims through the court process, and we respect their right to do so.
" The jury awarded the family of Samya Stumo $21 million for the suffering she experienced on the fatal flight, $16.5 million for the family's loss of her companionship and $12 million for the family's grief, according to a press release from Kline & Specter, which represented Stumo's estate. "We are gratified for the opportunity to try the compensatory damages case," said Kline & Specter attorneys Shanin Specter and Elizabeth Crawford, according to the firm's press release.
"Next, we will seek appellate reinstatement of the punitive damages claims against the Boeing executives and the component part manufacturers. " Stumo was killed en route to Kenya for her first assignment with ThinkWell, a public health NGO that aimed to increase access to health care in Africa and Asia. But the plane went down shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa, killing everyone aboard.
The Ethiopian crash followed a Lion Air crash about four and a half months earlier in Indonesia. Speaking ahead of the verdict, the aviation giant's attorney, Dan Webb, expressed the company's sorrow at the crash.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The new SVI Max Recon 6X6 is one angry Land CruiserThe Max Recon is a rapid-deployment derivative of SVI’s Max 3
Read more »
Emile van Heerden wins Sharks Player of the Year awardEmile van Heerden was named the Sharks Player of the Year amid a tough season. André Esterhuizen and Phepsi Buthelezi also earned honours.
Read more »
Rassie Erasmus to Receive National Order, Order of Ikhamanga in Gold, for Inspirational Leadership in RugbySpringbok coach Rassie Erasmus will receive the Order of Ikhamanga - in gold - for his inspirational leadership in national and international rugby that has propelled the Springboks to repeated Rugby World Cup Championships. The award recognises his achievements in uniting South Africans and raising the nation's esteem in the international community.
Read more »