Ralph Nader Relatives Suing Boeing Over Crash

Consumer advocate's grandniece died in Ethiopian Airlines crash
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 4, 2019 12:05 AM CDT
Ethiopian Airlines Crash Killed a Ralph Nader Relative
In this March 11, 2019 photo, rescuers work at the scene of the crash near Bishoftu, Ethiopia.   (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene, File)

Relatives of one of America's most famous consumer advocates have a personal connection to last month's Ethiopian Airlines crash—and they plan to sue. Samya Rose Stumo, the 24-year-old daughter of a Ralph Nader niece, was killed in the crash of the Boeing 737 Max. Her relatives plan to file a wrongful-death lawsuit in federal court Thursday against Boeing, the airline, and parts maker Rosemount Aerospace, the New York Times reports. Stumo, the daughter of attorneys Michael Stumo and Nadia Milleron, died while on a trip for her job with health systems development organization ThinkWell, reports the Connecticut Post. "She was ambitious and passionate about revolutionizing global health," attorneys say.

Nader, 85, has long criticized the Federal Aviation Administration for failing to regulate airlines and aircraft makers aggressively enough. Last month, he told the Wall Street Journal that Boeing could be exposed to both criminal and civil liability in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, which killed 157 passengers and crew and led to the grounding of Boeing 737 Max aircraft worldwide. "They lulled us into complacency," Nader said of Boeing. He accused the company of ignoring pilots' concerns and failing to act swiftly enough, but said the case "could finally lead to some fundamental reforms in aviation safety." "Above all, we have put out a call for whistleblowers," he added. (An upcoming report on the crash is expected to be bad news for Boeing.)

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