SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) - Boeing faces a lawsuit blaming it for not taking the threats of a worker seriously enough, leading to a murder-suicide in 2022.
Boeing was sued in December in Washington's King County Superior Court by Rachel Washington, executor of the estate of Isaiah Washington. Boeing recently removed the case to federal court.
The plaintiff alleges that Mr. Washington, a former employee of Boeing, was involved in a complex personal situation with two other employees at the company's Renton assembly plant.
The court documents reveal that Mr. Washington was engaged in a romantic relationship with Rachel Pettit, who held a supervisory position over him. Meanwhile, Ralph O'Connor had also been involved in a long-term romantic relationship with Pettit and allegedly exhibited possessive behavior and anger issues.
He had previously been suspended by Boeing for threatening another employee and was married during his relationship with Pettit.
In November 2022, O'Connor discovered Pettit's relationship with Washington, which escalated tensions at work, the suit says. Co-workers reported that O'Connor expressed suicidal thoughts, plus made threats towards Pettit and Washington to his colleagues and supervisors at Boeing.
Despite being aware of the escalating situation between the three employees, Boeing allegedly failed to take any action or provide mental health support to O'Connor. The complaint accuses Boeing of negligence leading to harm suffered by Mr. Washington.
Things came to a head on Nov. 21, 2022.
"O'Connor stalked Mr. Washington as he was going to work at Boeing, the suit says.
"O'Connor knew the time Mr. Washington would arrive for his shift because it was the same shift that Mr. Washington had been assigned to the entire time.
"O'Connor waited for Mr. Washington to park his car and walk through the Renton Landing to the Boeing plant. O'Connor shot and killed Mr. Washington on the street, and then killed himself."
The plaintiff is represented by Sumeer Singla of Williams, Kastner & Gibbs PLLC based in Seattle, and Lawand Anderson of L.A. Law & Associates in Des Moines, Wash.