Two American families have reached a settlement in the deadly crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8 jet that claimed the life of 157 people in 2019, including a military service member from the Chicago area.
Attorneys with Clifford Law Offices, Romanucci and Blandin, and Mark Lindquist Law announced that a resolution had been reached Sunday night in the cases of Lewis v. Boeing and Belanger v. Boeing, one day before trial was set to begin in Chicago.
Antoine Lewis, a U.S. Army captain from south suburban Matteson, and Darcy Belanger, a director of professional development from Denver, were among the 157 who died in the crash minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa airport in Ethiopia on March 10, 2019. The two were among eight Americans aboard the plane.
Lewis, 39, was on military leave and was taking a trip to Africa to look for opportunities to launch a logistics business.
Lewis left behind his wife, Yalena Lopez-Lewis, and two sons. He served nearly 20 years in the military.
In this photo dated November 12, 2018, the actual Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 – Max 8 plane, that crashed Sunday March 10, 2019, shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, shown as it lands at Seattle Boeing Field King County International airport, USA. U.S. aviation experts on Tuesday March 12, 2019, joined the investigation into the crash of this Ethiopian Airlines jetliner that killed 157 people, as questions grow about the new Boeing plane involved in the crash.
Preston Fiedler/Associated Press
“This settlement will bring a measure of closure to Lewis’ widow, Yalena Lopez-Lewis, but can never make up for this heartbreaking and life-altering loss for his family,” lead counsel Antonio Romanucci said in a statement.
Belanger, 36, was a founding member of an environmental nonprofit. He was flying to a United Nations Environmental Assembly meeting, where he was scheduled to speak. He left behind his wife, Amie, and his parents.
“I’m happy for my client,” said Mark Lindquist, who represented Belanger’s wife. “She stood her ground. We are satisfied with the resolution, accountability, and closure.”
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
“We are deeply sorry to all who lost loved ones on Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302,” Boeing told the Sun-Times. “We made an upfront commitment to fully and fairly compensate the families and accepted legal responsibility for the accidents. We will continue to work to fairly resolve the claims of the family members.”
In July 2019, Lewis’ family filed a lawsuit accusing Boeing of negligence, claiming the company knew about problems in the jet’s design and failed to take adequate precautions.
In November 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the Boeing 737 Max 8 to return to service.