Biz Court Significantly Trims Scope of Damages in Southwest Pilot’s 737 MAX Suit Against Boeing

A Texas Business Court judge has determined the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association failed to sufficiently connect the dots between The Boeing Company’s alleged misrepresentations about the airworthiness of the 737 MAX aircraft, the subsequent grounding of those planes following two fatal crashes, and the consequential damages the union alleged its members suffered as a result. 

Judge Andrea K. Bouressa issued the seven-page order granting Boeing summary judgment Monday, wiping out the 9,000-member labor union’s bid to seek consequential damages for lost wages, lost dues and attorney fees, but the order left intact SWAPA’s claims for direct damages. The ruling comes after seven years of litigation in the lawsuit where SWAPA brought claims for fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation, tortious interference, negligence and fraud by nondisclosure.