The estate of a whistleblower who fought to expose crony capitalist aerospace giant Boeing has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court accusing the embattled corporation of creating a hostile work environment that led to his tragic suicide.
John Barnett, 62, of Pineville, Louisiana died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on March 9, 2024 in a parking lot of the Holiday Inn Riverview – located at 301 Savannah Highway just across the Ashley River from downtown Charleston. Not surprisingly, suspicions of foul play ran rampant given Barnett’s ongoing efforts to shed light on serious quality control problems at one of the largest, most powerful companies in the world. In fact, Barnett was in the middle of depositions tied to a whistleblower lawsuit at the time of his death.
The investigation into Barnett’s suicide was led by the Charleston Police Department (CPD) – whose investigators ultimately determined the death of the former quality control manager-turned-whistleblower “appears to result from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
In a statement (.pdf) provided in the days after CPD said its investigators “understand the global attention this case has garnered,” and that it was their top priority “to ensure that the investigation is not influenced by speculation but is led by facts and evidence.”
The lawsuit (.pdf) – filed by attorneys Robert Turkewitz, Brian Knowles and David Boies on behalf of Barnett’s siblings –...
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