# Fourth Circuit reverses class certification in Boeing 737 MAX investor suit

Attorney advertising. Brief by Lou Schwartz, Schwartz & Associates, PC, Atlanta, Georgia. Published 2026-07-20; updated 2026-07-20. Responsible attorney: Lou Schwartz. Canonical: https://www.snalawyers.com/insights/boeing-class-certification-reversed

A Fourth Circuit panel reversed the certification of an investor class in a suit alleging that Boeing misrepresented its commitment to safety and manufacturing quality from 2021 until the January 2024 Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 door-plug incident. Applying Comcast Corp. v. Behrend, the court held that investors seeking class certification must present a class-wide damages method that fits their theory of liability rather than a generic formula.

**Why it matters.** In federal courts in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, investors seeking class certification now face a more demanding damages showing.

## Sources

1. [Opinion (4th Cir.)](https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/251492.P.pdf)

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