A US federal jury has rejected claims by LOT Polish Airlines (LO, Warsaw Chopin) that Boeing fraudulently misrepresented or concealed information about the B737 MAX, handing the manufacturer a victory in a closely watched lawsuit stemming from the type's grounding following two fatal crashes.

In a verdict delivered on May 22 in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle, jurors found that LOT failed to prove by "clear, cogent, and convincing evidence" that Boeing committed either fraudulent misrepresentation or fraudulent concealment related to the MAX programme.

The jury answered "no" to both core questions on the verdict form, shutting down the airline's case before damages could even be considered.

The case centres on allegations that Boeing had misled LOT over the safety and certification of the B737 MAX before the type was grounded globally in 2019, after crashes involving Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines that killed 346 people.

LOT had sought USD250 million in damages linked to operational disruption and costs associated with the grounding.

Because jurors answered "no" to both fraud-related questions, they did not proceed to subsequent sections of the verdict form addressing which MAX leases were allegedly affected or whether LOT had demonstrated damages, including additional maintenance and operating costs, substitute aircraft expenses, and lost profits.

The verdict marks the latest legal outcome tied to Boeing's handling of the MAX crisis, which resulted in worldwide scrutiny of the company and billions of dollars in settlements, compensation claims, and regulatory penalties following the type's 20-month grounding.

The case was Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. v. The Boeing Company (Case No. 21-1449RSM).