Lawsuit alleges Boeing intimidated whistleblower who later died by suicide

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.

The family of a Boeing whistleblower who died by suicide last year filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday accusing the aircraft giant of fostering a toxic culture and retaliating against employees.

John Barnett shot himself in the head in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel in March 2024 after he gave deposition testimony in Charleston regarding his whistleblower complaint.

The lawsuit accuses Boeing of fostering a “deep rooted culture of concealing defects and safety violations, and of harassing, denigrating, and retaliating against employees who try to follow the law, FAA’s rules and regulations, and Boeing’s own purported processes and procedures.”

“When John tried to do his job, Boeing Management pressured him to not document defects or to not properly document the aircraft build record in order to avoid production delays,” the lawsuit states. “When John persisted, Management embarked on a concerted campaign of harassment, abuse, and intimidation intended to discourage, discredit, and humiliate him until he would either give up or be discredited.”

“P.S.,” Barnnett continued, “The entire system for whistleblowers protection [sic] is f—ed up too!!”

A Boeing employee works on the aft portions of a 787 Dreamliner during the manufacturing process at the Boeing manufacturing facility in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Dec. 13, 2022. (LOGAN CYRUS/AFP via Getty Images)

Barnett was found dead after he failed to appear for his third day of deposition testimony in Charleston in March of last year.

In January 2024, Barnett told TMZ that he was concerned that Boeing was returning its 737 Max 9 jets to the sky too quickly, after an incident in which an Alaska Airlines jet’s door panel blew off mid-flight.

Unrelated to Barnett’s lawsuit, Boeing’s CEO Dave Calhoun announced last March that he would be resigning by the end of 2024 amid the company’s ongoing struggles.

Fox News’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.