The family of deceased Boeing whistleblower John Barnett has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the aerospace company, alleging that Barnett’s “PTSD, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks, all caused by Boeing’s wrongful conduct, caused him to take his own life.”
According to NPR, “the lawsuit seeks a jury trial to recover financial losses and impose punitive damages on Boeing, accusing the company of contributing to Barnett’s ‘ongoing mental distress and unavoidable death.'”
Barnett, a former quality inspector manager for Boeing, was found dead on March 9, 2024 in South Carolina. He reportedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was years into a whistleblower retaliation case against Boeing and for whistleblower advocates, Barnett’s death underscored concerns about the retaliatory treatment and the protracted legal proceedings that whistleblowers face.
Barnett had internally raised claims concerning quality and safety in Boeing’s manufacturing process. He alleged that a series of defaults jeopardized the quality of Boeing products and the safety of those who depended on them.
In response to his whistleblowing, Barnett allegedly encountered retaliation, which drove him to pursue legal recourse. After being pushed into an early retirement in 2017, he initiated a legal action under the Wendell H. Ford Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR21) with the Department of Labor. For the past seven years, the administrative proceedings had not scheduled a...
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