The Department of Justice’s criminal fraud case against Boeing, over the American planemaker’s alleged misrepresentations to regulators about a key system on the 737 Max, will go to trial June 23, reports The Guardian.

Families of the victims of two deadly Max crashes, which claimed 346 lives, said it was an “opportunity for justice” on March 25. Boeing said it was in “good faith discussions” with the justice department.

In 2024, the U.S. federal government was accused last year of offering Boeing a “sweetheart plea deal” by which the company was given the chance to enter a guilty plea and pay a fine as part of its sentence, avoiding a high-profile trial.

While Boeing initially agreed to plead guilty, on March 24 the Wall Street Journal reported the firm was seeking to withdraw the existing plea deal, under which it committed to paying up to $487.2m.

The U.S. district judge Reed O’Connor initially rejected the plea deal, faulting a diversity and inclusion provision, and gave Boeing and the Department of Justice until April 11 to come up with an agreement on a new plea deal.

On March 25, O’Connor – who said in 2023 that “Boeing’s crime may properly be considered the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history” – did not indicate why he was setting a trial date, or withdrawing the previous deadline for the sides to reach a new deal.