CHICAGO -- The first civil trial over a Boeing 737 Max crash in Ethiopia more than six years ago opened Wednesday before a federal court jury that was asked to decide how much the American aerospace company must pay to the family of one of the 157 victims.

A Texas judge agreed to dismiss a criminal charge filed against Boeing after two fatal 737 MAX crashes six years ago.

A US federal judge has dismissed the Department of Justice's fraud case against Boeing over 737 Max certification, despite expressing doubt that the non-prosecution agreement serves the public interest and facing opposition from crash victims' relatives.

Opening arguments will begin in Chicago on Wednesday in the first civil trial against US aviation giant Boeing over the 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX aircraft, which killed 157 people, after a full day of jury selection.

The legendary planemaker Boeing suffered a devastating blow to its track record of engineering innovation, quality, and safety when two 737 MAX jets were involved in accidents in a six-month span, shortly after the newly released aircraft entered service.

Boeing Co's 737 MAX on Wednesday will make its first public demonstration flight with members of the media since being grounded over fatal crashes, as one of its biggest customers, American Airlines ,