Judge Quashes Boeing 737 Plea Deal Over Govt. Competency Worries

Boeing Aircraft Company was ready to enter a plea deal, stemming from a criminal fraud case having to do with fatal 737 crashes, but now it's been sent back.

  A Judge has concerns about the competency of the Government's monitor

According to CNBC, some of the backround:

"In July, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to a criminal charge of conspiring to defraud the U.S. government by misleading regulators about its inclusion of a flight-control system on the Max that was later implicated in the two crashes — a Lion Air flight in October 2018 and an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March 2019. All 346 people on the flights were killed."

Following months of hammering out the deal, including fines and setting up a Federal Government monitor, the final rulings were set to happen. But now a Texas Judge says he has concerns over the competency of the government monitor who will oversee Boeing.

According to CNBC:

 "U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas expressed concern in his decision on Thursday that a government-appointed monitor, a condition of the plea deal, would include diversity, equity and inclusion policies."

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He is concerned the government will select the monitor based on DEI criteria, or otherwise appoint someone to the position who is not qualified to correctly and efficiently make sure Boeing follows through with the plea deal mandates. He rejected the plea deal.

This new plea deal came about just as the company is trying to regain its footing after the door of a 737 blew off after it left Portland bound for CA  early this year.

According to CNBC, neither Boeing for the Government have responded to the Judge's latest ruling.