Originally Posted by
WillowRun 6-3
According to WSJ article, Boeing reportedly stated it had not disclosed these documents, after producing them to DOJ in like February, to other federal agencies, because....the criminal investigation underway involved these other agencies also. What? I mean, white-collar criminal defense atty I'm not, and certainly I'm not amongst the thickly stacked ranks of those types in Washington, but does Boeing's reported statement even make sense to any extent at all?
Well, it may make sense as a Boeing attempt to keep the information from Congress and the public -- for a while. It certainly doesn't make sense as justification. Boeing's lawyers certainly knew that DOJ would not likely share much from an ongoing investigation, with Congress or anyone else.
Oh, and no less than Bob Clifford (a lead atty for plaintiffs in Ethiopian cases) today expressed significant concern that a Boeing employee had taken the Fifth.
I expect that Mr. Clifford is more nearly ecstatic than "concerned." The fact that a Boeing tech pilot asserted his right not to incriminate himself will likely be one more piece of evidence for his argument for punitive damages, if the courts allow it. Of course, he probably has a strong argument without this bit.