Lawsuit alleges US plane maker’s treatment of John Barnett caused his death after he raised safety concerns
The family of a whistleblower at Boeing who killed himself last year is suing the US plane manufacturer, alleging the company’s conduct caused his death.
Boeing pushed John Barnett to his death by harassing and intimidating him after he raised safety concerns about the company’s plant building the 787 Dreamliner in Charleston, South Carolina, a wrongful death lawsuit filed in federal court in the state alleges.
The world’s second-largest aeroplane maker has faced significant scrutiny over its safety during a years-long crisis started by two fatal crashes of its bestselling 737 Max aircraft in 2018 and 2019. Last year a door panel blew out of a Boeing plane in mid-air after engineers failed to replace crucial bolts, raising yet more concerns over the company’s safety culture.
The crises have also raised questions over how Boeing treated people voicing concerns.
Barnett was a quality manager at Boeing for nearly three decades, starting at Everett, Washington state, before his move to South Carolina. He took early retirement in 2017, at which point he was experiencing symptoms of depression and severe anxiety, according to the claim.
He then shared concerns over Boeing’s safety processes with journalists, becoming known publicly as a whistleblower. His allegations included finding metal shavings near critical control wires, and problems with onboard oxygen systems.
His family claim in their suit that Boeing responded by carrying out a “campaign of harassment, abuse and intimidation intended to discourage, discredit and humiliate him until he would either give up or be discredited”.
Barnett was found dead with a gunshot wound in his truck in a hotel car park on 9 March last year, days after giving evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against the company.
In a statement this week, Boeing said: “We are saddened by John Barnett’s death and extend our condolences to his family.” The company was approached for further comment.
However, Barnett’s family alleged that “Boeing had threatened to break John, and break him it did”.
They said the aeroplane maker intentionally gave Barnett inaccurate, poor job reviews and less desirable shifts, and that the company publicly blamed him for delays that angered his co-workers and prevented him from transferring to another plant.
Sign up to Business Today
Get set for the working day – we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning
after newsletter promotion
The lawsuit alleged: “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.
“Boeing may not have pulled the trigger, but Boeing’s conduct was the clear cause, and the clear foreseeable cause, of John’s death.”
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
