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Boeing: "We're Guilty of Conspiring to Defraud"
#1
In an interesting "not win" for the hundreds of victims and their thousands of family members, Boeing has conceded to "plead guilty " to charges ...

From ArsTechnica: Boeing to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud FAA Aircraft Evaluation Group
 

... "The parties have agreed that Boeing will plead guilty to the most serious readily provable offense," the Department of Justice said. If accepted by the court, the deal would allow Boeing to avoid a trial...


But the families were dismayed to discover that the "plea" deal actually fails to mention the particulars of the defrauding in it's entirety...  AND, attached to the plea is the condition that there will be no trial...
 

Because families intend to oppose the plea agreement, the government said it will "meet and confer with all stakeholders on a briefing schedule." A lawyer for victims' families asked "that the Court schedule a plea hearing no sooner than late July to allow adequate time for the families to make travel arrangements to attend in person," the DOJ said.

"This sweetheart deal fails to recognize that because of Boeing's conspiracy, 346 people died. Through crafty lawyering between Boeing and DOJ, the deadly consequences of Boeing's crime are being hidden," Paul Cassell, a lawyer for the families, 
said.
 
Boeing did not comment on the specifics of the plea deal. "We can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle on terms of a resolution with the Justice Department, subject to the memorialization and approval of specific terms," the company said in a statement provided to Ars.


[Bold is mine]

I thought I would add this as an example of how our legal and regulatory system deals with Boeing... as opposed to the actual victims of the "alleged" crime.

I am ready to wager 1 dollar that ultimately, there will be a statement within the text of the final documents asserting that "Boeing is not admitting guilt to anything else related to this case."  (Which I think is the purpose of warding off a trial where jurors ostensibly would hear the facts, and decide whether the "settlement" should be considered "adequate" remedy to the loss of life, and organized web of conspirators who contrived to avoid lawful adjudication.)  I expect it will also include something to the effect of "No further action due... case closed."
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#2
I agree with your nicely written assessment.
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#3
This sickens me....

"I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes."
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#4
I wouldn't be too quick to hit the cynicism accelerator here.  Boeing's behavior in this case has been especially "corporate" in the sense that even the public cannot avoid actually noticing what has transpired.  Sometimes the courts can't just play the usual 'big money gets away with anything" game and survive scrutiny.

I suspect that this plea will not be simply 'accepted' because of 'camaraderie' in the club house or on the golf course.  Too much attention has been levied on just how badly their 'focus on safety' has deteriorated since ever since they were bought out.  They've got wheels dropping off, doors popping out, and other mechanical problems all over the place in the news.  And they can't blame technicians when the incidents are so frequent.  "Quality Control" seems to be failing everywhere at the same time.

If they are allowed to get away with white-washing this story behind 'legal contrivance' it will look extremely bad for the courts.  But then, we are just 'little people' and how we feel about this may amount to nothing as far as the courts are concerned... Lord knows 'those dead people' don't matter to Boeing's board and executive leadership.  To them this is just an 'externality' impacting profit... "legal fees" they'll call it in their ledgers.
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#5
Well...here's another media entry in the story...

From Gizmodo: Boeing Will Plead Guilty to Criminal Fraud. Guess Who’s Going to Jail?
Subtitled: Nobody, of course.

Lives lost, and no one is "responsible to account for it."   Welcome to the Corporate reality.
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