Aviation

Robert A. Clifford, aviation attorney involved in every major commercial airline disaster in the U.S. in the last four decades, commented on the crash of an American Airlines regional jet that collided mid-air on approach to Reagan National Airport that occurred about 9 p.m. EST Wednesday, January 29, 2025. “The NTSB will immediately investigate the cause of the crash which, by all standards, never should have happened. The NTSB headquarters is a couple miles from…

Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices in Chicago and lead counsel in the pending litigation in federal district court against Boeing in two 737 MAX crashes six years ago killing all 346 aboard, commented on the latest incident Friday (January 24, 2025) involving a United Airlines flight from Lagos, Nigeria, to Washington Dulles International Airport that was forced to turn back for an emergency landing. A Boeing 787-8 manufactured in…

Robert A. Clifford, Founder and Senior Partner of Clifford Law Offices and Lead Counsel in the civil litigation pending in federal district court in Chicago on behalf of the victims of the Boeing 737 MAX8 crash in 2019 in Ethiopia, commented on the Sunday, December 29 crash of a Boeing 737-800 in South Korea that reportedly killed nearly all 181 people on board. Initial speculation was that a bird strike occurred, but observers at the…

Many of the victims who lost 346 family members in two Boeing crashes of 737 MAX 8 planes met for two hours with the U.S. Department of Justice today. They discussed what has been called a sweetheart plea agreement that a Texas federal judge rejected on December 5, 2025, regarding the aircraft manufacturer’s admitted criminal conduct in defrauding the Federal Aviation Administration in the certification of the faulty aircraft. Paul Cassell, attorney for the families…

Javier de Luis, from Massachusetts, who lost his sister Graziella in the crash, said, “I am pleased to see the Judge has rejected this inappropriate and inadequate deal that did not serve the interest of justice, nor improve the safety of the flying public. I hope the Department of Justice takes this opportunity to go back and do its job and hold Boeing accountable for the deaths of 346 people.” Ike and Susan Riffel of…

Federal Judge in Criminal Case Against Boeing Today Rejects DOJ Plea Agreement with Aircraft Manufacturing Giant; Sides with Victims’ Families in Refusing Plea Deal The federal district court judge overseeing the criminal conspiracy matter against Boeing in the crashes of two 737 MAX8 jets that killed 346 people rejected the plea agreement presented by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), with the judge taking particular issue with the corporate monitor requirements outlined in the plea…

CHICAGO, IL (November 2024) – Clifford Law Offices is ranked in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms®, nationally in four practice areas and regionally in 10 practice areas. Clifford Law Offices received the following rankings in the 2025 Best Law Firms: National Tier 1 Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs Railroad Law Transportation Law National Tier 3 Commercial Litigation Regional Tier 1: Chicago Aviation Law Commercial Litigation Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions…

Federal Judge in Criminal Case Against Boeing Hears Arguments on October 11, 2024, in Texas Court; Crash Victims’ Families from Several Countries Attend Morning-Long Hearing The lawyer for the families who lost loved ones in two Boeing crashes of 737 MAX jets argued on October 11, 2024, that the plea deal between the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Boeing should not be accepted by the federal district court judge in Texas who is overseeing…

Newly Released Documents Show that Boeing Hid 737 MAX Safety Problems from Ethiopian Pilots Asking for Answers Prior to Second Crash; Federal Judge Sets Hearing Friday to Consider Families’ Objections to DOJ “Sweetheart” Plea Deal with Boeing U.S. Federal District Court Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, has set a hearing for Friday, October 11, at 9:00 a.m. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas – Fort Worth Division to…