A jury trial in the longstanding legal dispute between Boeing and aircraft lessor Timaero Ireland has been scheduled in a Seattle court for March 29, 2027, seven years after the subsidiary of Russian lessor Timaero first filed for USD185 million in compensatory damages over a B737-8 deal was suspended when the type was grounded following fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.
The case was initially filed in the Northern District of Illinois on December 17, 2019 (Case No. 1:19-cv-08234). In essence, Timaero Ireland is accusing Boeing of selling it an aircraft the OEM knew had serious safety problems, concealing those problems, and then failing to honour its contractual obligations when the B737 MAX was grounded.
In March 2021, the Illinois court dismissed fraud claims in the case against Boeing, ruling that the manufacturer's statements about future aircraft specifications and delivery timelines did not constitute fraudulent representations.
However, Timaero's breach-of-contract claims were transferred to the US District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle on April 6, 2021, where it is proceeding under Case No. 2:21-cv-00488, according to ch-aviation research.
Ahead of the jury trial in March next year, the court has ordered that mediation be completed by January 11, 2027, with pre-trial submissions due in February and early March.
Contacted by ch-aviation, Boeing declined to comment, while Timaero Ireland did not respond by the time of publication.
