$29m for Irish crash victim's family 'important justice'

Lawyers for the widow of an Irish UN employee who died in a 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crash have said the award of $29 million in damages to the family is an "important measure of accountability and justice".

A Chicago jury awarded $29m (€25m) in damages to the family of Micheál 'Mick' Ryan, after a civil suit was brought against Boeing by his widow Naoise Connolly Ryan.

Mr Ryan, a father of two, was one of the victims in the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people on board.

The Clare native had worked during the Ebola crisis in Liberia and with Rohingya refugees.

A UN memorial page to Mr Ryan, who was 39, also recognised his work in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Ethiopia.

In a statement following the verdict, Ms Connolly Ryan's attorney Steven Marks said it "represents an important measure of accountability and justice for our client".

"While no financial award can ever replace a life or undo the profound loss his family has endured, we are grateful that the jury carefully considered the evidence and reached this decision," he said.

He added: "For years, Naoise Connolly Ryan has pursued justice for Mick with extraordinary strength and determination, and we have been honored to stand beside her in her unwavering pursuit to hold Boeing accountable."

"Although the verdict marks a significant milestone, the broader effort to hold Boeing responsible for this tragedy, and to help prevent anything like it from happening again, is just as important."

The case was one of the final remaining civil suits pending against Boeing following the pair of deadly MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that together claimed 346 lives.

Read more:
Irishman among 157 victims of Ethiopian Airlines crash
'He wanted to save the world,' says Micheál Ryan's mother

The vast majority of claims have been settled out of court with undisclosed terms, but Ms Connolly Ryan's attorney Steven Marks had described his client as "committed to seeking accountability and justice from a jury and not accepting money from Boeing directly".

Boeing has apologised for the crashes and acknowledged that anti-stall software was implicated in both incidents.

In May, a Chicago jury awarded $49.5m in damages to the family of Samya Stumo, a 24-year-old American who was killed on the same flight.

The 157 victims included people from 35 countries.

The flight, which was bound for the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, came down near the town of Bishoftu, 50km southeast of Addis Abada.

The jet left the airport at 8.38am local time on 10 March 2019 before losing contact with the control tower at 8.44am.

The airline's chief executive said the pilot, who had an "excellent flying record", reported difficulties and had been cleared to turn back.

The aircraft was just a few months old, having taken its first flight at the end of October.

Its last maintenance was on 4 February 2019 and it had flown just 1,200 hours.