Lawsuit alleges harassment, abuse, and intimidation
The family of a Boeing whistleblower who took his own life last year after voicing safety concerns about the company’s factories has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging he was subjected to “harassment, abuse, and intimidation.”
Whistleblower John Barnett, a former Boeing quality manager, shot himself inside his truck in a South Carolina hotel parking lot last March. His death came after days of grueling testimony in a high-profile lawsuit about Boeing’s production standards.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in South Carolina, claims that Boeing engaged in a “campaign of harassment, abuse, and intimidation intended to discourage, discredit, and humiliate him until he would either give up or be discredited.”
Allegations of retaliation and workplace mistreatment
Barnett, 62, worked for Boeing for over three decades before retiring in 2017.
During his time at the company, he repeatedly raised safety concerns, particularly while working at Boeing’s Charleston plant, but his complaints were ignored, the lawsuit states.
The legal filing claims Boeing retaliated against Barnett by giving him poor performance reviews and undesirable shifts. It also alleges that the company publicly blamed him for production delays, which caused friction with co-workers and prevented him from transferring to another facility.
After his retirement, Barnett became a whistleblower, speaking to journalists about the safety concerns he had previously reported.
Mental health struggles and suicide
Following his departure from Boeing, Barnett’s mental health deteriorated, and he was diagnosed with PTSD.
“Whether or not Boeing intended to drive John to his death or merely destroy his ability to function, it was absolutely foreseeable that PTSD and John’s unbearable depression, panic attacks, and anxiety would in turn lead to an elevated risk of suicide,” the lawsuit states.
“Boeing may not have pulled the trigger, but Boeing’s conduct was the clear cause, and the clear foreseeable cause, of John’s death.”
On March 9, Barnett was found dead in his Dodge Ram truck by Charleston police. A suicide note, written in a notebook, was discovered at the scene.
“I can’t do this any longer! Enough!” he wrote.
He continued, “America, come together or die!! I pray the motherf—ers that destroyed my life pay!!! I pray Boeing pays!!! Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying-ass leaders can kiss my ass.”
Family seeks compensation
Barnett’s family is seeking damages for emotional distress and mental anguish, back pay, 10 years of lost future earnings, bonuses, health expenses, and the loss of his life insurance benefits.
