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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), located within Troy University in New York, has filed a lawsuit against a cleaning company for failing to adequately train its staff. Specifically, a janitor at one of the schools inadvertently destroyed a decades-long research project by turning off a freezer upon hearing an annoying alarm. According to the lawsuit, the university is seeking damages exceeding $1 million.Michael Ginsberg, the attorney representing RPI, stated: “The irresponsible actions of that employee have erased all the accomplishments of a 25-year-long research process.”The janitor, who remains unnamed in the lawsuit, was recruited by Daigle Cleaning Systems and worked at RPI for a few months in 2020, prior to the incident.
The laboratory freezer contains samples from the photosynthesis research project led by Professor KV Lakshmi, a biologist and chemist. These specimens require strict storage conditions, maintaining a stable temperature of -80°C.On September 14, 2020 - a few days before the freezer lost power, it signaled an unstable temperature alarm. However, at that time, the specimens in the freezer remained undamaged and usable.
Theo Guardian
