Member of McDonnell Family Sues Boeing

A member of the St. Louis, Mo., family that ran McDonnell Douglas is suing Boeing Co. – the firm that bought the aerospace company in 1997 – alleging it infringed on his patents.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that William “Randy” McDonnell is seeking $160 million in damages from Boeing and Insitu, Boeing’s Washington state subsidiary, over patents related to an unmanned aerial vehicle landing system.

Boeing denies patent infringement and says it will fight the suit.

Randy McDonnell is an aeronautical engineer and son of Sanford McDonnell, who was chairman and chief executive of McDonnell Douglas from 1972 to 1988.