The family of John Barnett, a former Boeing employee and whistleblower, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company, alleging that a campaign of harassment and intimidation drove him to suicide.
Barnett, who had worked for Boeing for more than 30 years before retiring in 2017, was found dead in his truck in a South Carolina hotel parking lot last year. He reportedly shot himself after giving days of grueling testimony in a lawsuit regarding Boeing’s safety practices.
His family’s lawsuit claims Boeing deliberately subjected Barnett to “harassment, abuse, and intimidation” to discredit and silence him. “Boeing has threatened to break John, and break him it did,” the court filing states.
During his time at Boeing, Barnett raised multiple safety concerns, particularly at the company’s Charleston, South Carolina, plant. The lawsuit alleges that Boeing retaliated by giving him poor job reviews, undesirable shifts, and blaming him for delays that soured relationships with his coworkers. The company’s actions, the lawsuit claims, prevented him from transferring to another plant.
After retiring, Barnett became a whistleblower, speaking out publicly about safety issues. However, the stress of doing so took a toll on his mental health, and he was diagnosed with PTSD.
The lawsuit argues that Boeing’s treatment of Barnett made his suicide foreseeable. “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 lead to an elevated risk of suicide.”
The company has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
