Boeing hired the lawyer who managed funds for 9/11\, Boston Marathon bombing\, and BP oil spill victims to distribute $50 million to 737 Max crash families

Boeing has hired the lawyer who managed payments to victims after the 9/11 terror attacks, Boston Marathon bombings, and BP oil spill to distribute the $50 million it is giving to the relatives of those killed in the two crashes of its 737 Max planes.

Boeing has hired Kenneth Feinberg to design and administer the fund, which Boeing says will be used to provide "near-term financial assistance" to the families of the 346 victims.

Feinberg has worked on some of the most high-profile compensation programs in the US, including managing the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund after the 9/11 terror attacks, and distributing the fund for victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, which killed three people, to 256 claimants.

Feinberg was also hired by the Obama administration in 2010 to administer compensation to those affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in which a BP oil well exploded. The disaster killed 11 people, while also creating one of the largest environmental disasters in US history.

Feinberg will work with his colleague Camille Biros, who worked with Feinberg in determining compensation for victims of sex abuse by Catholic clergy in the US.

Biros said on Wednesday that the pair will "work to design and administer the fund and distribute the money as efficiently and expeditiously as possible" for the families.

The $50 million pledged by Boeing is the "initial expenditure" of the $100 million that it announced it would spend to "address family and community needs of those affected by the tragic accidents."

It said that an investment would be made over "multiple years" in the "education, hardship and living expenses for impacted families, community programs, and economic development in impacted communities."

Boeing said it would work with local governments and non-profits when spending the fund.

The two crashes, a Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October 2018 and an Ethiopian Airlines crash in Ethiopia in March 2019, have victims from all over the world, and many of their families are suing Boeing over the crashes.

Lawyers representing these families previously told Business Insider that many of those killed were the families' breadwinners, and that their deaths will likely have serious financial impacts on the families.

Boeing said on Wednesday that the fund would not be affected by these lawsuits, which means families can still get the money if they are sueing Boeing.

However, Robert Clifford, a lawyer representing the families of 23 victims on the Ethiopian Airlines crash, told Business Insider after the fund was announced that the families he had spoken with did not welcome it.

"At best it's a gesture, at worst it's a token effort to address problems that aren't foremost on the minds of these families," he said.

"What's foremost on their minds is getting back remains from the crash site, so they can hold memorials and get some closure - why isn't Boeing putting that money towards speeding up the process?"

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said on Wednesday: "The tragic loss of life in both accidents continues to weigh heavily on all of us at Boeing, and we have the utmost sympathy for the loved ones of those on board."

"Through our partnership with Feinberg and Biros, we hope affected families receive needed assistance as quickly and efficiently as possible."

Boeing is currently in talks with lawyers to settle the cases out of court, though Business Insider previously reported that Boeing indicated that it will seek to move the cases out of the US if these talks fail, which could drive families to settle for less.

The legal system in Indonesia and Ethiopia is much less favorable in terms of awarding compensation, experts told Business Insider, and families may wish to take less money for fear of receiving none.

This would mean that there is less scrutiny on Boeing and into how the planes were made.

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