When the board of directors of Boeing Co. About seven weeks after the initial crash of the 737 MAX first formally met in late 2018, the directors had no in-depth discussions about the jet’s safety, according to recently released details of internal company documents.
Months later, the current Boeing CEO told reporters that the company’s directors had swiftly intervened to address the accident, according to excerpts from company documents in a shareholder case.
That and other new information in the suit casts doubt on whether Boeing’s directors have put pressure on management over safety concerns or seriously considered grounding the plane for a second 737 MAX crash in early 2019.
Portions of the internal Boeing documents, which indicate dates and details of meetings the directors held and what was discussed, are cited in the shareholder action claiming directors have violated their fiduciary duties in overseeing management. The lawsuit also alleges that David Calhoun, the then lead director who later became CEO, exaggerated to reporters how much drivers caused the safety issues between and after the two crashes.
The lawsuit alleges that Mr. Calhoun, who became CEO in early 2020, ran a public relations campaign that “insisted that the board act more urgently and more involved than it actually was” after the two crashes that killed 346 people. in October. 2018 and March 2019. The lawsuit mentions internal Boeing emails and other documents that were previously not public.