Janitor cuts power to super-cold freezer over ‘annoying’ alarm, ruining 25 years of scientific research, lawsuit claims

A janitor working at a private research university in Troy, New York, destroyed 25 years of scientific research after cutting power to a super-cold storage freezer because of an “annoying” alarm, according to the university’s lawsuit, Times Union reported Thursday.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute filed a lawsuit against Daigle Cleaning Services after one of its custodial workers allegedly switched off power to a freezer containing cell cultures, samples, and other items.

As a result, the research elements stored and preserved at -112 degrees Fahrenheit were destroyed when temperatures inside the freezer raised to -25.6 degrees in September 2020, the university alleged.

The complaint claimed that the janitor turned off the circuit breakers supplying power to the freezer after becoming annoyed about an incessantly beeping alarm, despite a sign on the freezer's door detailing how to mute the alarm.

The sign stated, “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.”

University staff learned that the freezer needed repairs after a mechanical malfunction prevented the unit from maintaining a constant temperature.

K.V. Lakshmi, a chemistry and chemical biology professor at the institute, was using the freezer in September 2020 when the temperature rose from -112 degrees Fahrenheit to -108.4 degrees. Lakshmi and her team “determined that the cell cultures, samples and research were not being harmed.”

The professor contacted the manufacturer to schedule emergency repairs; however, due to COVID lockdowns, the freezer could not be fixed for a week, during which time the alarm sounded.

Safety staff with the university interviewed the janitor who allegedly switched off the power. The worker claimed he thought he was turning on the circuit breakers when he had actually turned them off.

“At the end of the interview, he still did not appear to believe he had done anything wrong but was just trying to help,” the safety staff’s report stated.

The university’s attorney, Michael Ginsberg, blamed “people’s behavior and negligence” for causing an estimated $1 million of damage, Times Union reported.

“Unfortunately, they wiped out 25 years of research," Ginsberg stated.

Daigle Cleaning Services did not respond to a request for comment, Times Union reported.

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