This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know has a suicide idea, dial 988 to contact Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
The family of a Boeing whistleblower who died last year in suicide, filed a false death lawsuit Wednesday, accusing the aircraft giant of fostering a toxic culture and retaliating against his employees.
John Burnett shot his head in March 2024 in a truck outside a South Carolina hotel after testifying at a deposit in Charleston about his whistleblower complaint.
The lawsuit accused Boeing of “a deep-rooted culture of concealing flaws and safety violations, and for promoting harassment, slander and retaliation against the law, FAA rules and regulations, and employees who try to follow Boeing's own processes and procedures.”
“When John tried to do the job, Boeing Management put pressure on him to either not document the defects or to properly document the aircraft's build records in order to avoid delays in production,” the lawsuit states. “When John stuck, management embarked on a coordinated campaign of harassment, abuse and threats.
Boeing whistleblower John Burnett accuses the company of suicide as the memo reveals
Boeing whistleblower John Burnett spoke about the company's practices in January 2024. (TMZ)
Fox News Digital reached out to Boeing for comment.
The complaint filed in US District Court in South Carolina said that Burnett was passionate about his job and believed he had a moral obligation to keep his flight safe, but ultimately he said that “coordinated harassment and abuse have been “too much.” He was diagnosed with PTSD, depression, panic attacks and anxiety caused by his research in 2017.
Boeing whistleblower John Burnett's cause of death has been revealed to release the official findings of the coroner
On Monday, February 5th, 2024, a sign outside the Boeing manufacturing facility in Renton, Washington, USA. (David Rider/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
For example, in late October 2016, Burnett's senior manager called for a total of 19 times over an eight-hour period, according to the lawsuit. A few days later, the same manager allegedly called Barnett 21 times over eight hours.
“Boeing threatened to break John and break him.”
In an email written in February 2021, Barnett said, “I'm trying to understand what it takes to make myself feel “again.”
“I was once a very happy and lucky man. [sic] It loved his work, his company, the products they built. I had a very positive view of life. Boeing absolutely destroyed my outlook for life,” writes Byrnenett.
Photo of John Burnett's suicide note. (US District Court, South Carolina)
Just before his death, Burnett wrote a suicide note.
“America, come with me, I'll die!!” he wrote. “I pray for Mother who destroyed the payments for my life!!! I pray Boeing will pay!!! I'm lying about Boeing and their lies, so please fill me – the leader can kiss my a–.”
Boeing whistleblower John Burnett was spyed on and harassed by his manager, lawsuit alleges
“PS,” continued Barnnett. “The whole system of whistleblower protection [sic] f — ed up!!”
Boeing employees work in the rear of the 787 Dreamliner during the manufacturing process at the Boeing manufacturing facility in North Charleston, South Carolina on December 13, 2022. (Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images)
Burnett died last March after failing to appear in a third day depository in Charleston.
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January 2024, Burnett I told TMZ He was worried that Boeing was returning the 737's up to nine jets into the sky too quickly after the incident in which the door panels of an Alaska Airlines jet flew around.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced last March that he would step down by the end of 2024 amid the company's ongoing struggle, despite unrelated to Burnett's lawsuit.
Michael Ruiz of Fox News contributed to this report.
