University sues after janitor allegedly destroyed decades of research by turning off beeping freezer

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute filed a lawsuit after a janitor allegedly turned off a super-cold freezer that was beeping in a laboratory, destroying decades of research and costing the New York research university at least $1 million in damages. 

The janitor with Daigle Cleaning Services, a third-party company that the Troy-based school contracted during the fall 2020 semester, was annoyed by a constant beep in the laboratory he was cleaning and allegedly shut off a circuit breaker that supplied power to the research freezer, according to the lawsuit filed this month.

The freezer had contained cell cultures that needed to be kept at minus-112 degrees Fahrenheit. Even a six-degree temperature fluctuation could cause "catastrophic damage" to the research, so the appliance's alarm would sound when the temperature changed slightly.

The incident began in September 2020, when the freezer had broken and become stuck at minus-108 degrees Fahrenheit, which was not enough to harm the research specimens but caused the alarm to constantly sound. 

To prevent anyone from unplugging the freezer as the school waited for a person to come and repair the appliance, the researchers installed a safety lock box on the outlet and socket, the lawsuit states. 

"THIS FREEZER IS BEEPING AS IT IS UNDER REPAIR. PLEASE DO NOT MOVE OR UNPLUG IT. NO CLEANING REQUIRED IN THIS AREA. YOU CAN PRESS THE ALARM/TEST MUTE BUTTON FOR 5-10 SECONDS IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MUTE THE SOUND," a sign posted on the freezer door stated. 

Despite the written warning and the lock box, the employee of Daigle Cleaning Services turned off the circuit breaker, causing the temperature to rise to minus-25 degrees Fahrenheit, destroying most of the specimens and demolishing over 20 years of research, according to the lawsuit.

The employee had admitted in the after-incident interview that he heard "annoying alarms" while cleaning and became concerned that "important breakers were turned off." The janitor also said he thought he was turning on the breakers and was helping preserve the research equipment.

The school had a $1.4 million contract with the cleaning company for the 2020 semester, and the lawsuit is demanding at least $1 million in damages. 

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.