Per Metropolises, partner of GMC Online
Published 06/28/2023 for the 2:05 p.m
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A janitor decided to turn off a freezer after hearing several “annoying alarms,” ruining more than 20 years of scientific research. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute filed a lawsuit against the employee’s employer. The incident happened in the US state of New York.
The employee, against whom no proceedings are pending, was employed by the cleaning company Daigle Cleaning Systems Inc. According to local media, he worked at the private research university in Troy for several months in 2020.
As a result of the incident, the university is seeking more than US$1 million (approximately R$4.7 million) in damages and attorneys’ fees from Daigle Cleaning Systems.
That’s because the lab’s freezer contained more than 20 years of research, including cultures and cell samples, according to the lawsuit filed in Rensselaer County Superior Court. “A small temperature change of three degrees would cause catastrophic damage,” the lawsuit states.
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