A Jewish lawyer who lives close to where 15 people were shot and killed has sued Boeing claiming her then-employer did not ask how she was holding up after the terror attack.
Margery Granofsky spent more than two decades at the aerospace giant and most recently worked in Sydney as a senior legal counsel before her dismissal in January 2026.
She has sued Boeing in the Federal Court, claiming the firm breached Australian employment law by dismissing her for complaining about its inaction following the December 2025 Bondi Beach mass shooting.
More than 50 people were injured or killed when two shooters fired at a Hanukkah event attended by Jewish families.
Boeing knew Granofsky was Jewish and that she lived in the city’s eastern suburbs, which includes Bondi, she wrote in court documents seen by AAP on July 8.
Granofsky claims Boeing and regional counsel Renee Grant Bluechel both had an obligation to check on the welfare of the company’s employees.
Text messages and emails were sent to staff during crises such as the Lindt Cafe Siege in December 2014, the mass stabbing at Bondi Junction Westfield in April 2024 and the COVID-19 pandemic which led to lockdowns in March 2020, the senior lawyer’s pleadings say.
AAP has viewed emails Boeing sent en masse to employees after the Bondi shooting, including recommendations to use specific support services if required.
But the system used for prior incidents was not deployed after the Bondi Beach shooting, Granofsky says.
She says she complained three times about Boeing’s alleged inaction but nothing was done.
Instead, the firm terminated her employment in January 2026.
The senior lawyer claims she was dismissed to prevent further complaints.
A letter saying she had been let go due to unsatisfactory performance was false, the pleadings say.
She also claims Boeing took adverse action by dismissing her because she made eight requests for leave from June to December 2025, including for several hours of personal leave due to suffering stress and trauma from the Bondi terror attack.
Grant Bluechel was allegedly annoyed by the leave requests and micromanaged Granofsky’s workload to the point of bullying to get her to leave the company, the pleadings say.
Granofsky is seeking compensation for damages including the loss of her $317,000 (US$220,000) salary, superannuation, a $21,000 annual performance bonus, and $113,000 in shares which would have been granted under Boeing’s incentives plan.
Boeing may also be on the hook to pay penalties and Granofsky’s legal costs if she is successful.
A mediation between both parties will be held in August at the earliest.
A spokesman for the aerospace firm said it strongly denied the claims made by its former senior lawyer.
“Boeing cares deeply for the safety and well-being of our team,” he told AAP.
“Employees can always raise concerns without fear of retaliation.”
Boeing is expected to file its defence later in July.
