After a pause in depositions for a lawsuit alleging retaliation against Boeing, whistleblower John Barnett was discovered dead in his truck at a hotel in Charleston, South Carolina.
Officers reported on Monday that John Barnett, 62, was discovered dead in his truck in a South Carolina hotel parking lot, seven years after he had retired after 32 years of service.
Barnett died during a pause in depositions for a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit in which he claimed that workers were pressured into installing inferior parts on airplanes while they were being assembled.
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He said that in certain instances, inferior components were taken straight out of trash cans and installed on newly constructed aircraft in order to avoid delays.
Some of his concerns were validated by an FAA review in 2017, necessitating Boeing’s response.
His attorney, Brian Knowles, stated Monday that he had just completed a deposition for the case to Boeing’s attorneys last week.
“Today is a tragic day,’ Knowles said.
“John had been back and forth for quite some time getting prepared,” said Knowles. “The defense examined him for their allowed seven hours under the rules on Thursday.”
“I cross-examined him all day yesterday and did not finish. We agreed to continue this morning at 10 am [co-counsel] Rob [Turkewitz] kept calling this morning, and his phone would go to voicemail.”
“We then asked the hotel to check on him. They found him in his truck dead from an ‘alleged’ self-inflicted gunshot. We drove to the hotel and spoke with the police and the coroner,” said Knowles.
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