Boeing agrees to pay $50,000 to settle lawsuit over 2024 suicide of whistle blower: What we know

The Boeing Company, has agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit with the family of quality inspector and whistle blower John Barnett, for $50,000, as per a report by Bloomberg. His death last year was ruled a suicide and grabbed international headlines.

Barnett, a former Boeing employee, reportedly died by suicide in March 2024 amid his deposition in a case he filed alleging that he faced retaliation for flagging safety concerns at the company, it added.

Following his death, the company also faced scrutiny over its work culture and manufacturing processes at its factories in North Charleston, South Carolina, which make the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. At the same time, the planemaker's Seattle facility was facing federal investigations after a door-shaped plug blew out of an airborne 737 Max.

What settlement has Boeing and Barnett's family agreed to?

• As per the report, citing a filing made on September 26, requesting approval from a federal judge in Charleston, Boeing and Barnett's family have agreed to a “full, final and confidential settlement”.
• This would include dismissing all claims brought by Barnett and his estate, including the case being pursued at the time of his death.
• While the terms of the broader agreement, including any additional payment by Boeing, were not disclosed.
• Of the $50,000 settlement for the wrongful death claim, $20,000 will go to pay legal fees and costs, with the remainder paid to the plaintiffs.

Who was John Barnett? What concerns did he raise at Boeing?

Born on February 23, 1962, in California, Barnett was a graduate of Bolton High School, and had moved to Louisiana with his mother and three older brothers after his parents' separation.

Before he joined the US Air Force, Barnett was a cab driver. He later joined Rockwell International in Palmdale, California, where he worked on parts of NASA's Space Shuttle programme, including the Atlantis orbiter, as per an NDTV report.

In the 1980s, Barnett worked as an electrician on the B-1 Lancer bomber. In 1988, he joined Boeing as a quality inspector after settling on Camano Island, Washington. By 2010, he was working at Boeing's South Carolina plant in North Charleston, the assembly line for the 787 Dreamliner.

He shared his safety concerns with journalists after he retired in 2017, describing how he once saw discarded metal shavings near wiring for the flight controls that could have cut the wiring and caused a catastrophe. He also noted problems with up to a quarter of the oxygen systems on Boeing’s 787 planes, an AP report said.

Between 2010 and 2017, Barnett said there was a steady decline in safety protocols at the North Charleston plant. According to him, employees were being pressured to overlook defects and meet production quotas, the NDTV report added.

Barnett also claimed some parts were missing or not properly recorded during the building process, showing poor safety checks, apart from other concerns about how Boeing was building its planes.

In 2017, he filed formal complaints with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The FAA did confirm certain issues he highlighted and instructed Boeing to fix them. OSHA later dismissed his claims, ruling in favour of Boeing in 2021, a decision Barnett appealed, the report said.

According to an AP report, Barnett shared his concerns with his supervisors and others before leaving Boeing, but according to a lawsuit filed by his family against the aircraft maker, they responded by ignoring him and then harassing him.

In 2019, Barnett went public with his allegations in media interviews. According to the police, the 62-year-old shot himself on March 9, 2024, in Charleston after answering questions from attorneys for several days. He lived in Louisiana.

Boeing continues to deny claims: ‘Took action several years ago…’

Boeing in the filing “denied and continues to deny that any act or omission on its part” contributed to Barnett’s injury or death, as per the report.

“We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s death and extend our condolences to his family as we reach this resolution. Boeing took actions several years ago to review and address the issues that Mr. Barnett raised,” the company said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg.

(With inputs from Bloomberg, Agencies)