Boeing whistleblower John Barnett has claimed that company executives were spying on him during the bomb trial he was overseeing when he was mysteriously found dead.
Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, attorneys for Quality Control Engineers, wrote that Barnett was found dead in his pickup truck at a hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 9. The complaint was released on Wednesday in the name of transparency.
The lawsuit alleges that Boeing retaliated against Barnett when he tried to raise the alarm about manufacturing process failures at Boeing, which is currently under scrutiny for a series of quality control problems, including door plugs falling off during flights. , has made a number of explosive statements. .
Barnett said the aviation giant faced numerous retaliations after filing internal reports about its failure to comply with Federal Aviation Administration safety standards.
The complaint alleges that he was subjected to a “continuous gaslighting campaign of harassment, defamation, humiliation, and treatment of contempt and disdain from upper management.”
Another section of the lawsuit states: “In June 2014, Barnett filed a complaint with the Department of Business Ethics. [redacted] For violating procedures, ignoring process violations, forcing Barnett to “work in a gray area,” and having another manger spy on Barnett.
“While Mr Barnett’s complaints were substantiated by Business Ethics, no action was taken to address the complaints.”
Barnett, who retired in 2017 after more than 30 years at Boeing, said he retired 10 years earlier than planned due to actions he claimed were taken against him.
“That’s how it works there. There were always moles who would throw you under the bus to look good to the big guys. They weren’t about team unity. You never know who you can trust,” a Boeing middle manager told The Post on Wednesday on condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job.
In the complaint, which redacts the names of specific managers, Barnett’s senior manager said during a meeting that it was Barnett’s fault that the rest of the team had to “separate themselves from their families” and work overtime. He claims to have announced this to the team multiple times. A focus on documenting procedural violations and equipment deficiencies.
According to the complaint, Barnett used email rather than “in-person” communication to maintain records of defects, even though FAA standards and regulations require defects to be documented in writing. Managers complained that they were being used.
Sometime in September 2014, Mr. Barnett sent the following email: “Leaders don’t want anything from the email, so they maintain plausible deniability.”
Boeing’s response to Barnett’s allegations is under seal, and the company did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
in Statement to WSCS “We are saddened by the passing of Mr. Barnett and extend our condolences to his family and friends,” the company said in a statement.
“Boeing has reviewed and addressed the quality issues raised by Mr. Barnett prior to his retirement in 2017, as well as the other quality issues referenced in the complaint.”
Boeing’s lawyers had filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was denied by a judge in May 2022.
In 2019, two years after Barnett left, the company also created a Speak Up program for employees to report concerns about product quality and safety. But an FAA report released in February said the system is not widely used, with employees preferring to speak to their supervisors instead.
Barnett’s lawsuit also alleges that his name was one of 49 people listed in an email from upper management entitled “Quality Managers to Be Eliminated.” did.
Barnett’s lawyers said that as a result of years of retaliation, their client began experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, which Barnett’s doctors attributed to stress from Boeing.
Mr. Barnett’s lawyers argued that he was forced to leave the company because he was forced to commit a felony by failing to properly document defects and procedural errors.
“Failure to properly document an aircraft’s production records is a felony. By pressuring Mr. Barnett to disobey the process, Boeing was directing Mr. Barnett to commit a felony.”
The complaint says Barnett faced a repeated and systematic pattern of being asked to “violate, evade, and ignore the law, and to prioritize profits over safety and quality.”
Barnett was seeking damages including unpaid wages, 10 years of early retirement benefits, loss of bonuses, loss of health and life insurance benefits, medical expenses, and loss of 401-K retirement benefits and matching. .
Benefits, money for mental anguish and suffering, damages and attorney’s fees.
The Charleston Medical Examiner’s Office has tentatively ruled that Barnett died from a “self-inflicted gunshot wound,” but his attorneys have expressed skepticism about that verdict.
