{"id":38,"date":"2024-12-25T23:32:47","date_gmt":"2024-12-25T23:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iamstevena.com\/?p=38"},"modified":"2024-12-25T23:32:47","modified_gmt":"2024-12-25T23:32:47","slug":"attorneys-release-statement-on-investigation-report-in-boeing-whistleblowers-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamstevena.com\/?p=38","title":{"rendered":"Attorneys release statement on investigation report in Boeing whistleblower\u2019s death"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Steven Ardary<\/a> and Blair Sabol<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published: May. 17, 2024 at 11:35 AM CDT<\/em>|Updated: May. 21, 2024 at 9:37 PM CDT<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story originally appeared on Live5News.com.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – The attorneys representing a Boeing whistleblower\u2019s estate have released a statement days after the Charleston Police Department released their findings in the investigation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Barnett, 62, was found dead inside his truck on March 9 with a gunshot wound to his head outside of the Holiday Inn located at 301 Savannah Highway. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Barnett, who worked for Boeing for 32 years, filed a whistleblower complaint alleging safety concerns. The United States Department of Labor was working through the discovery phase of its investigation and is set to begin hearings on that complaint this June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police said they found no evidence of forced entry or a struggle inside the vehicle. The orange 2015 Dodge Ram truck\u2019s key fob was found in Barnett\u2019s pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Charleston County Coroner\u2019s Office determined Barnett\u2019s death to be a suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barnett had been in Charleston providing a deposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officers located Barnett with a silver Smith and Wesson handgun in his right hand. Ballistics confirmed the bullet recovered at the scene and the casing had been fired from the gun found in Barnett\u2019s hand. Barnett legally purchased the gun. A police report states Barnett\u2019s finger was still on the trigger when officers attempted to remove the gun from his hand. A police report states no fingerprints were recovered from the gun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A notebook containing a note written by Barnett was found in the passenger seat. Police said the note suggested Barnett was \u201cgoing through a period of serious personal distress.\u201d Barnett\u2019s fingerprints were found on the note and notebook. Police said three prints were inconclusive because they lacked detail for identification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The erratic writings on the page express Barnett\u2019s frustration toward Boeing and whistleblower protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI pray Boeing pays,\u201d the note reads. \u201cWhistleblowing protection is f—– up too!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The writings leave messages for Barnett\u2019s loved ones as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFamily and friends I love you,\u201d it reads. \u201cI found my purpose! I\u2019m at peace!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police said Barnett\u2019s medical records showed a history of mental health challenges that seemed to intensify with his ongoing legal battles. The police report states Barnett had shown symptoms of \u201cpost-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, sadness, fear of impending death of others and intrusive thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While reviewing security footage from the hotel, police said Barnett entered his hotel room alone around 7:36 p.m. on March 8 and stayed about an hour before cameras showed him leaving the hotel alone. Barnett\u2019s truck can be seen backing into a parking space at 8:45 p.m. where it remains until the next morning when police arrive for a wellness check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A police report states investigators searched Barnett\u2019s room at the hotel and found his belongings still in his room including clothing, his laptop, several USB drives and his wallet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barnett\u2019s cellphone had no unusual travel patterns or communications before his death, police said. He traveled between the hotel and the deposition site. Key card data showed no \u201cunusual entries,\u201d police said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barnett retired from Boeing back in 2017. He worked at Boeing\u2019s North Charleston location from 2010 until his retirement. Barnett\u2019s wife, Diane Johnson, who died in November of 2022, worked for Boeing for 28 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He reportedly alerted managers about the company using sub-standard parts and oxygen systems with serious problems on several occasions. Those managers allegedly took no action to fix the issues and Boeing denied Barnett\u2019s claims, the BBC reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barnett was a longtime Boeing employee and worked as a quality-control manager before he retired in 2017. In the years after that, he shared his concerns with journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJohn was deeply concerned about the safety of the aircraft and flying public, and had identified some serious defects that he felt were not adequately addressed,\u201d Barnett\u2019s brother, Rodney, said in a family statement to The Associated Press. \u201cHe said that Boeing had a culture of concealment and was putting profits over safety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rodney Barnett said working at Boeing created stress for John.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was suffering from PTSD and anxiety attacks as a result of being subjected to the hostile work environment at Boeing, which we believe led to his death,\u201d the brother said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boeing, in a one-sentence statement, said, \u201cWe are saddened by Mr. Barnett\u2019s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, Barnett told The New York Times about quality issues at Boeing\u2019s factory in South Carolina, where the 787 jetliner is assembled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barnett said he found discarded metal shavings near wiring for the flight controls. He said it could have been \u201ccatastrophic\u201d<\/a> if the sharp pieces had pierced the wiring. He said after he complained to superiors, they moved him to another part of the plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barnett told the BBC that same year that up to a quarter of the oxygen systems on the 787 \u2013 a two-aisle plane that airlines use mostly for international flights \u2013 might not work<\/a> because of faulty parts installed at the Boeing plant. Boeing denied the claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barnett filed a complaint on Jan. 16, 2017, with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration alleging Boeing retaliated against him in violation of the Employee Protection Provisions Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barnett claims Boeing subjected him to a hostile work environment for engaging in whistleblower-protected activity, which caused severe stress that led Barnett to take medical leave and early retirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boeing tried to dismiss Barnett\u2019s claims, arguing he did not present facts sufficient to prove his claims. But the judge denied Boeing\u2019s partial motion to dismiss on March 31, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Nov. 14, 2023, Barnett filed a motion to compel discovery, a move to ask the court to enforce a request for information relevant to a case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Court documents state Boeing\u2019s efforts to identify records of other complaints made by other employees at the South Carolina location of adverse actions taken in response to reports of safety or quality violations are woefully lacking. The judge adds that Boeing has had the requests for over a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The judge ruled on Dec. 21, 2023, that Boeing must produce the documents sought by Barnett.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discovery phase was set to be completed by March 30 with a formal hearing set to take place during the week of June 24, documents from the Department of Labor state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attorneys Brian Knowles and Rob Turkewitz released documents in the case, which in great detail paint a picture of the \u201cgas lighting campaign\u201d and repeated retaliation they allege their client faced while working at Boeing before retiring early, which they believe was due to the \u201chostile work environment\u201d he faced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That included being blocked from other jobs after filing complaints. At one point, the suit claims Barnett was listed as #1 on an email titled \u201cQuality Managers to get rid of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They released the following statement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lawyers representing Boeing whistleblower John Barnett have been asked by numerous reporters for a copy of the complaint in John Barnett\u2019s AIR-21 whistleblower retaliation case. In the interest of transparency, we are releasing a redacted copy of the Amended Complaint (filed May 4, 2021) and the Court\u2019s May 31, 2022 decision denying Boeing\u2019s Partial Motion to Dismiss.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They claim Barnett was \u201cremoved from investigations of defects in retaliation for his insistence that the problems be fully investigated and remedied\u201d and was penalized in performance reviews for using email to follow up on issues instead of \u201cface to face.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These complaints in the suit include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n