Aug 1 (Reuters) - Four flight attendants on the Alaska

Airlines 737 MAX 9 plane that experienced a mid-air

cabin panel blowout in January last year are suing Boeing ( BA )

for physical and emotional injuries.

In separate lawsuits, they are seeking compensation for past

and future economic damages, citing physical and mental

injuries, emotional distress and other financial costs.

"Each of the four flight attendants acted courageously,

following their training and putting their passengers' safety

first while fearing for their lives," Tracy Brammeier, the

attorney representing each of the plaintiffs, said.

"They deserve to be wholly compensated for this

life-altering traumatic experience."

Boeing ( BA ) declined to comment, while Alaska Airlines did not

immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

The lawsuits were filed on Tuesday in Seattle's King County

Superior Court and accuse Boeing ( BA ) of negligence and failure to

exercise reasonable care in the production, sale and repair of

737 MAX jets and its parts.

"Boeing ( BA ) knew or should have known of the quality control

issues present in its production of the 737 MAX line of

aircraft," the filings said.

The incident sparked a crisis for the planemaker and

prompted the U.S. Justice Department to open a criminal

investigation into the company and declare that Boeing ( BA ) was not

in compliance with a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement.

Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

said Boeing ( BA ) had failed to provide adequate training, guidance

and oversight to prevent the incident.

The board criticized Boeing's ( BA ) safety culture and its failure

to install four key bolts in the panel during production, and

accused the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of ineffective

oversight.