New York, New York - Relatives of people killed in two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes were told Friday that the Justice Department may drop criminal charges against the aviation giant, lawyers for victims' families said.

Paul Cassell, an attorney representing relatives of victims, slammed the department's stance as a "bizarre plan," according to a press release from Clifford Law, which represents family members of MAX victims.

"Today the Justice Department's Criminal Division held a 'conferral session' but didn't truly confer at all," Cassell said.

"Instead, they conveyed their preconceived idea that Boeing should be allowed to escape any real consequences for its deadly lies," he added.

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The Clifford press release said the DOJ official told the family members that a final decision had not been made.

The DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Boeing did not have an immediate comment, either.

Friday's meeting is the latest development in long-running litigation that originated with a 2021 US criminal settlement with Boeing over a pair of 2018 and 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crashes that killed a total of 346 people.

Boeing agreed in July 2024 to plead guilty after the DOJ concluded the company had violated the 2021 accord. But in December, US Judge Reed O'Connor rejected a settlement codifying the guilty plea, setting the stage for the incoming Trump administration to decide the next steps.

O'Connor had set a trial date of June 23 in Fort Worth, Texas. In recent weeks, he has approved court orders allowing family members from outside the US to cite the trial in Visa applications.

A Wall Street Journal report Friday citing unnamed sources said that the DOJ and Boeing have reached a tentative deal that would settle the case without forcing Boeing to plead guilty as a felon.

"The reversal would be one of the most stark examples of how the Trump administration has taken a less aggressive approach to enforcing the law against big companies," the Journal said.