In the 11th hour, three cases of families who lost loved ones on the 2019 crash of a Boeing 737 MAX8  settled late last night (Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025) after a jury was selected all day Tuesday in federal district court.  

Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices and lead counsel in the aviation litigation before U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Alonso in Chicago, told the court early Wednesday morning that three of the firm’s cases settled, including one that was to move forward at 10 a.m. today, the case on behalf of the family of a 28-year-old mother from Kenya who left behind a daughter and her parents. Estate of Mercy Ngami Ndivo, Lead Case no. cv-19-cv-02170, relating to 19-cv-05563. 

The second case set for trial is moving forward on behalf of the family of a 36-year-old woman from India who left behind a husband and her parents, who are represented by Kline & Specter of Philadelphia. Estate of Shikha Garg, 19-cv-05079.

“Our clients are very appreciative of the court allowing them to use its resources to achieve the justice they required,” said Clifford, an international leader in plaintiffs’’ aviation litigation. The father of Mercy Ndivo said a few words to the court and he spoke of the loss of their second daughter and thanked Clifford, the court and America.  Fredrick Ndivo said, “We are so grateful to you and we hope you continue following justice and the right to life, liberty and freedom.”

The other two cases that the Clifford Law firm settled were part of the initial group of five set for trial Monday but only two can be heard simultaneously. All cases settled for confidential amounts by agreement of the parties. 

The other two cases that settled were that of a successful 38-year-old man from Yemen and Kenya who was killed who was the sole support of his wife and seven children, six who are minors (Ameen Qaid Ghazi Al-Aheum, as Administrator of the Estate of Abdul Jalil Qaid Ghazi Hussein, no. 19-cv-6718), and a 30-year-old successful businessman from the UK and Kenya, one of 10 children himself, who left behind a wife who was pregnant with the couple’s fourth child, and three minor children. (Said, as Administrator of the Estate of Nasrudin Mohammed v. The Boeing Company, no. 19-cv-02170).

The crash of the Boeing 737 MAX8 jet, Flight ET-302, occurred in March 2019 shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in Ethiopia, heading to Kenya and killing all 157 on board.

Source: cliffordlaw