DALLAS: Boeing Co has been ordered by a federal judge to appear in court on felony charges related to the crashes of two 737 Max planes.

The decision threatens to sabotage a deal Boeing made to avoid prosecution. Family members of some of the victims claimed that the government had violated their rights by entering into an agreement with Boeing without first notifying the families, leading to

The Texas judge ordered Boeing to send a representative to appear in the Fort Worth courtroom of US District Court Judge Reed O'Connor on January 26.

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The families are hoping to address the company responsible for the deaths of their loved ones at a hearing next week, according to Paul Cassell, a lawyer for relatives of some of the 346 people killed in the crashes.

According to a Boeing spokesman, the company was silent. The Justice Department, which opposes reopening the settlement, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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The Justice Department should have consulted with relatives of those killed in the crashes before agreeing to a deal in which Boeing pleaded guilty to defrauding federal regulators who approved the 737 MAX, according to a decision by O'Neill. paid $2.5 billion to avoid relegation. Connor last year.

The airlines, unable to use their Max jets for nearly two years after planes were grounded worldwide, received the majority of the settlement's proceeds. Boeing agreed to pay a $243.6 million fine and set up a $500 million fund to assist the victims' families.

The AMax made its first passenger flight in May 2017. The crashes happened in Indonesia in October 2018 and in Ethiopia less than five months later.

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On both aircraft, an automatic flight-control system that Boeing had not previously disclosed to airlines and pilots caused the nose to pitch down in response to an error from a single fuselage-mounted sensor. After Boeing modified the flight system, the Federal Aviation Administration gave the Max jets the green light to resume flying in late 2020.

Congress launched an investigation into the accidents that was highly critical of both Boeing and the FAA. Changes made by Congress will affect how the FAA certifies aircraft going forward.