The family of a Boeing whistleblower who died by suicide last year filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday accusing the aircraft giant of fostering a toxic culture and retaliating against employees.
John Barnett shot himself in the head in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel in March 2024 after he gave deposition testimony in Charleston regarding his whistleblower complaint.
The lawsuit accuses Boeing of fostering a “deep rooted culture of concealing defects and safety violations, and of harassing, denigrating, and retaliating against employees who try to follow the law, FAA’s rules and regulations, and Boeing’s own purported processes and procedures.”
“When John tried to do his job, Boeing Management pressured him to not document defects or to not properly document the aircraft build record in order to avoid production delays,” the lawsuit states. “When John persisted, Management embarked on a concerted campaign of harassment, abuse, and intimidation intended to discourage, discredit, and humiliate him until he would either give up or be discredited.”
The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in South Carolina says Barnett was passionate about his job and believed he had a moral obligation to keep the flying public safe, but eventually, “the concerted harassment and abuse” became “too much.” He was diagnosed with PTSD, depression, panic attacks, and anxiety stemming from his work in 2017.
For example, in late October 2016, Barnett’s senior manager called him a total of 19 times over an eight-hour period, according to the lawsuit. A few days later, the same manager allegedly called Barnett 21 times over eight hours, apparently telling Barnett, “I’m going to push you until you break.”
In an email Barnett wrote dated February 2021, he said he was “trying to figure out what it would take to make” himself feel “whole again.”
“I used to be a very happy go lucky guy [sic] that loved his job, his Company and the products they built. I had a very positive outlook on life. Boeing has absolutely destroyed my outlook on life,” Barnnett wrote.
Just before his death, Barnett wrote a suicide note.
“America, come together or die!!” he wrote. “I pray the motherf—ers that destroyed my life pay!!! I pray Boeing pays!!! Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying-a– leaders can kiss my a–.”
“P.S.,” Barnnett continued, “The entire system for whistleblowers protection [sic] is f—ed up too!!”
Barnett was found dead after he failed to appear for his third day of deposition testimony in Charleston in March of last year.
In January 2024, Barnett told TMZ that he was concerned that Boeing was returning its 737 Max 9 jets to the sky too quickly, after an incident in which an Alaska Airlines jet’s door panel blew off mid-flight.
Unrelated to Barnett’s lawsuit, Boeing’s CEO Dave Calhoun announced last March that he would be resigning by the end of 2024 amid the company’s ongoing struggles.
