By turning off a lab freezer containing important samples due to an "annoying" alarm sound, a cleaner allegedly destroyed decades of "ground-breaking" research, according to US attorneys.
The beep could be muted, as indicated by a sign, but a breaker appears to have been turned off due to a reading error.
Attorneys claimed that the "unsalvageability" of samples kept at -80C resulted in $1 million in losses.
The cleaners' employer is being sued by the lab's school for providing inadequate training.
When the alleged incident allegedly occurred in 2020, the company had a $1.4m (£1.1m) contract to clean Troy, New York's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, according to newspaper Times Union.
the study of photosynthesis is being led by Prof. K. V. According to a lawyer for the institute, Lakshmi had the potential to be "ground-breaking" in the development of solar panels.
An alarm sounded to warn of a 3C temperature rise a few days before the freezer was turned off. Despite the possibility of a catastrophic fluctuation, Prof. Lakshmi "determined that the cell cultures, samples, and research were not being harmed," according to the legal case.
It would take a week before any repairs could start due to Covid restrictions at the time.
The freezer's door had a notice on it that said: "This freezer is beeping as it is being repaired. Do not move it or unplug it. This area doesn't need to be cleaned.
To mute the sound, press and hold the alarm/test mute button for 5 to 10 seconds. ".
But the cleaner shut off the circuit breaker powering the freezer days after the alarm began to sound.
Most of the specimens that were intended to be stored at -80C (-112F) were "compromised, destroyed and rendered unsalvageable, demolishing more than 20 years of research," according to the legal case.
The cleaner believed they were flipping the breaker on when they actually turned it off, according to a report made by public safety staff at the institute, the New York Post reported.
By the time scientists discovered the error, the temperature had allegedly increased by 50C (122F).
According to attorney Michael Ginsberg of NBC News, the cleaning staff member heard "annoying alarms," and according to lawyers who spoke with him, "he still did not appear to believe he had done anything wrong but was just trying to help.". ".
According to the institute's legal team, the cleaner's employer did not provide sufficient training for their employee. The business is still silent.
