The family of the Boeing whistleblower who killed himself last year after he raised safety concerns about the airline’s factories has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company claiming he was subjected to “harassment, abuse and intimidation.”
John Barnett, a former Boeing quality manager, shot himself in the temple in his truck in the parking lot of a South Carolina hotel last March following days of grueling testimony for a bombshell lawsuit about the company’s production standards.
It followed Boeing allegedly subjecting him to a “campaign of harassment, abuse and intimidation intended to discourage, discredit and humiliate him until he would either give up or be discredited,” his family claimed in a wrongful death lawsuit filed Wednesday in US District Court in South Carolina.
“Boeing had threatened to break John, and break him it did,” the family’s attorneys alleged in court papers.
Barnett, 62, worked at Boeing for more than three decades before he retired in 2017.
During his tenure there, he said he had raised numerous safety complaints to his bosses, particularly when he worked at the company’s Charleston plant, that went unheeded.
Boeing retaliated by intentionally giving Barnett poor job reviews and less desirable shifts, according to the lawsuit.
The company also publicly blamed him for delays that upset his co-workers and kept him from transferring to another plant, the lawsuit alleged.
After he retired, he became a whistleblower and he spoke out about concerns he had about the company with journalists.
His mental condition spiraled 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, which would in turn lead to an elevated risk of suicide,” the lawsuit said.
“Boeing may not have pulled the trigger, but Boeing’s conduct was the clear cause, and the clear foreseeable cause, of John’s death.”
Barnett was discovered on March 9 in his Dodge Ram truck by Charleston police with a suicide note scratched on a notebook.
“I can’t do this any longer! Enough!” he wrote.
“America,” he continued “Come together or die!! I pray the motherf–kers that destroyed my life pay!!! I pray Boeing pays!!! Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying-ass leaders can kiss my ass.”
Barnett’s family is asking for compensation for emotional distress and mental anguish, back pay, 10 years of lost future earnings as well as bonuses, health expenses and his lost life insurance benefits.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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