CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/Gray News) - Almost a year after the death of a Boeing whistleblower in South Carolina, the mega-aircraft manufacturer is facing a wrongful death lawsuit for allegedly breaking the former employee.
John Barnett, 62, was found dead March 9, 2024, inside his truck with a gunshot wound to his head outside the Holiday Inn located at 301 Savannah Highway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Charleston County Coroner’s Office determined Barnett’s death to be a suicide.
Barnett, who worked for Boeing for 32 years, filed a whistleblower complaint, alleging safety concerns with their Charleston facility.
The United States Department of Labor was working through the discovery phase of its investigation and was set to begin hearings on that complaint.
Filed in South Carolina District Court on Wednesday, the lengthy lawsuit accused Boeing of driving Barnett to his death after he suffered repeated retaliation, a hostile work environment and bullying. The lawsuit states the constant bullying caused John’s PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks and depression which in turn caused his suicide.
After leaving Boeing, John repeatedly tried to move on with his life. The lawsuit states “however, on March 9, 2024, the weight of years of Boeing’s harassment, abuse and humiliation became too much for John to bear, and he took his own life on what was to be the third day of his deposition in the AIR21 case. Boeing had threatened to break John and break him it did.”
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