Judge Refuses to Dismiss Whistleblower Lawsuit Against Pratt & Whitney

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A federal court recently denied a motion by Pratt & Whitney to dismiss a whistleblower claim against the aerospace company. In the lawsuit, the whistleblower alleges the company regularly falsified inspection reports and sold billions of dollars’ worth of potentially defective jet engines to the U.S. military from 2012 to 2015.

Pratt & Whitney has been attempting to shut down the suit for several years, but the recent court decision will allow it to proceed.

Case background

In the lawsuit, former Pratt engineer Peter J. Bonzani, Jr. claims the company learned in late 2015 that it had been using defective equipment for at least three years in its process of testing and certifying the seal coatings sprayed on to bladed rotors in the F119 engine core. This would, in turn, raise questions about the certifications Pratt gave indicating the components of the rotor would be able to withstand the stresses of engine operation, and could result in premature wear and the possibility for a catastrophic engine failure.

Bonzani claims Pratt was using the wrong-sized and worn out spray equipment. After the equipment was replaced, quality measures were still not being met. Pratt suspended Bonzani immediately upon him issuing the report, and fired him 90 days after he notified the company of the defective testing procedures.

Whistleblowers in the United States are protected from retaliation, including wrongful termination. If you are aware of wrongdoing on the part of your company or organization, contact an experienced whistleblower attorney at Kardell Law Group to learn more about how you can report this information and hold the company accountable while protecting yourself in the process.

By Steve Kardell | Published January 23, 2020 | Posted in Whistleblower Litigation | Tagged aerospace company, defective equipment, whistleblower, whistleblower attorne

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