Family of Boeing whistleblower who accused his employer of not documenting and fixing problems say pressure by aircraft manufacturer led to his suicide

John Barnett, 62, was found dead inside his truck outside a Holiday Inn in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 9, 2024, leaving a suicide note

Barnett, a quality manager, worked at Boeing for 32 years before retiring in 2017

In 2019, he went public with his allegations against the company, claiming under-pressure workers were deliberately fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft on the assembly line 

Barnett was in the middle of his deposition, having filed a lawsuit against Boeing – in his suicide note he wrote ‘f**k Boeing’

His family filed a wrongful death suit, alleging Boeing harassed and intimidated their former employee after he raised concerns about safety measures

Barnett in his complaint, raised the issue of Boeing’s ‘deep-rooted and persistent culture of concealment’ multiple times to his superior. 

John Barnett, [photo], a 32-year veteran of production at Boeing, was found dead inside his truck outside a Holiday Inn in Charleston, South Carolina, in March 2024, was about to face deposition over his allegations of dangerous production shortcomings when he died

The family of a Boeing whistleblower who was found dead in his truck after taking his own life has filed a lawsuit against the aircraft manufacturer claiming they pushed their loved one to his tragic end.
Long-term quality control engineer at Boeing, John “Mitch” Barnett, was found dead inside his truck outside a Holiday Inn in Charleston, South Carolina, in March 2024. 
Barnett, 62, was due to testify against Boeing in a suit he brought against the airline, and in his suicide note he wrote ‘f**k Boeing.’
The quality engineer was employed at Boeing for 32 years, before retiring as a quality control manager in 2017. Two years after retirement, Barnett went public with his allegations against the company, claiming under-pressure workers were deliberately fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft on the assembly line.
In the wake of his ‘suicide’, his family have filed a wrongful death suit in South Carolina, accusing Boeing of harassing and intimidating their former employee after he raised concerns about safety measures.

‘f*** Boeing’ and ‘I pray Boeing pays’ read a note found by Charleston police in Barnett’s vehicle revealed his frustrations with the company. He also criticized the whistleblowers protection program

The lawsuit claims that Barnett was suffering from PTSD, depression and anxiety as a direct result of the treatment he received from his former employer. That managers isolated Barnett and threatened to ‘push you until you break.
‘The weight of years of harassment, abuse and humiliation became too much for John to bear, and he took his own life.’
‘Boeing may not have pulled the trigger, but Boeing’s conduct was the clear cause, and the clear foreseeable cause, of John’s death,’ the family said in court documents.

Mishaps with aircraft built by Boeing includes this case from January 2024, when an unused emergency exit door blew off a brand-new Boeing 737 Max shortly after take-off from Portland International

Barnett who was due to testify against Boeing in a suit he brought against the manufacturer, in his suicide note he wrote ‘f**k Boeing’. The company maintains that it never retaliated against Barnett

Prior to making complaints, Barnett said, he was a ‘top performer’ at the Boeing plant in North Charleston. However, low scores on performance reviews can affect an employee’s prospects of earning a raise or gaining promotion.
Barnett said he had raised the issue of Boeing’s ‘deep-rooted and persistent culture of concealment’ multiple times to his superiors. In his complaint, he accused the company of not documenting and fixing problems.

In retaliation for his complaints about sub-par components Barnett alleged, he was victimized at Boeing with low scores on performance reports, nixing chances for advancement ‘ 

In retaliation for his complaints, Barnett alleged that he was victimized with low scores on performance reports, adding that he was isolated and forbidden from transferring out of South Carolina – ‘treated with scorn and contempt by upper management.’ 
The Louisiana resident was found on March 9, 2024, in a car outside a Holiday Inn in Charleston, South Carolina.
He had driven to Charleston from his home in Louisiana, to testify in the deposition in a federal legal case he’d opened against Boeing. The deposition had already started, he was due to resume his testimony at 10 am on the day he died.  
Charleston police said no foul play was suspected. The County Coroner’s Office ruled cause of death to be a ‘self-inflicted gunshot wound.’

Barnett [photo], had started his deposition in his allegations against Boeing the day he died. His family claim he was suffering from PTSD, depression and anxiety as a direct result of the treatment he received from his former employer

The lawsuit filed by his mother and two brothers is seeking compensation, back pay and lost future pay and benefits. They’re also seeking an unspecified sum for emotional distress and legal fees. 
The aircraft manufacturer who claim employees are encouraged to raise their concerns, maintains that they never retaliated against Barnett and the issues he raised were fixed.