College sues for damages, saying cleaner turned off lab freezer and destroyed research

More than 20 years of cell cultures and other specimens stored at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute were destroyed when a cleaner switched off power to a lab freezer, according to a lawsuit filed by the school.

RPI is seeking $1 million from Daigle Cleaning Systems, claiming one of the company’s employees turned off the circuit breaker for the freezer, which must keep specimens at minus 112 degrees…