A federal jury in Seattle has cleared Boeing of fraud allegations on Friday, rejecting claims that the aircraft manufacturer concealed safety issues with 737 MAX planes sold to LOT Polish Airlines in the previous decade.
The Polish carrier had alleged that Boeing committed fraud by concealing a crucial modification to the widely-used narrow-body aircraft’s flight control systems. This modification was connected to two deadly 737 MAX accidents in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in the aircraft being banned from flying worldwide for 20 months.
LOT Polish Airlines had been pursuing $153 million in compensation for losses it claimed were caused by the aircraft grounding.
Following a two-week court proceeding, jury members spent three hours in deliberation before reaching their decision.
“We are gratified by the jury’s verdict in our favor today,” a Boeing spokesperson said.
LOT Polish Airlines released a statement recognizing the decision while keeping open the possibility of filing an appeal.
“As the legal process may not yet be concluded, LOT will not comment further on the details of the proceeding at this stage,” the company said.
