CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) – Several Southwest Airlines employees have filed a class action against The Boeing Company, claiming they have lost significant income because of Boeing’s alleged misconduct.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois' Eastern Division, says roughly 17,000 Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants have been adversely impacted by Boeing’s behavior. They’re said to have lost income and compensation as Boeing allegedly knowingly designed products with defects, leading to two fatal crashes.
After the accidents, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded 737 MAX planes, significantly decreasing the number of flights that attendants planned on working.
The plaintiffs alleges, “Boeing made a calculated decision to rush its 737 MAX aircraft to market secure its single-aisle aircraft market share and prioritize its bottom line. In doing so, Boeing abandoned sound design and engineering practices, withheld safety critical information from regulators, and misled stakeholders and the public, about the true scope of design changes to the 737 MAX.”
They’re seeking pay they’ve lost and continue to lose because of grounded flights, pre-judgment interest, and any other relief the court sees fit.
The plaintiffs are represented by Marvin Miller and Andy Szot of Miller Law of Chicago and Seth Katz and Michael Mauro of Burg, Simpson, Eldredge, Hersh & Jardine of Englewood, Colorado.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois' Eastern Division case number 1:20-cv-01813.