Boeing's CEO is beefing up his legal team as it braces for 737 Max crash lawsuits (BA)

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• Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg is getting a dedicated legal advisor.
• Boeing has promoted general counsel and former federal judge J. Michael Luttig to the newly-created role of counselor and senior advisor to Muilenburg on Wednesday. 
• Luttig will be responsible for managing the legal issues stemming from the two fatal Boeing 737 Max crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg is getting a dedicated legal advisor. The Chicago-based aviation giant promoted general counsel J. Michael Luttig to the newly-created role of counselor and senior advisor to Muilenburg on Wednesday. 

According to Boeing, Luttig will “manage all legal matters associated with the Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 accidents.”

Luttig joined Boeing 2006 after serving 15 years as a federal judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and was once considered a potential nominee for the US Supreme Court during the George W. Bush administration. 

“During his 13 years of service at Boeing, Judge Luttig has built the finest legal team in the world and delivered an unparalleled record of success for the company,” Muilenburg said in a statement. “Judge Luttig is not only a brilliant legal mind but also a critical voice on all the important issues and opportunities facing our company.”

Boeing Japan president Brett Gerry will take over for Luttig as general counsel. 

Read more: Boeing’s CEO explains why the company didn’t tell 737 Max pilots about the software system that contributed to 2 fatal crashes.

Families of both the Lion Air and the Ethiopian Airlines crash have initiated lawsuits against the company. Boeing shareholders have also filed a lawsuit alleging the company defrauded investors by concealing the safety deficiencies of the 737 Max, Reuters reported. 

Lion Air Flight JT610, a new Boeing 737 Max 8, crashed into the Java Sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia on October 29, killing all 189 passengers and crew on board. Four months later, Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302, another new 737 Max 8, crashed shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa on March 10, killing all 157 on board. The two crashes forced the grounding of the entire Boeing 737 Max fleet. 

Boeing has confirmed that faulty angle-of-attack sensor readings triggered the 737 Max’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System or MCAS ahead of both crashes. 

SEE ALSO: Boeing CEO says he’ll be on the first 737 Max flights when the controversial plane returns to service

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