Michael J. Fox Foundation Sues New Jersey Laboratory Over Storage Issues

A charitable foundation that funds research for Parkinson’s disease founded by a famous actor has filed suit against a New Jersey research laboratory for allegedly destroying huge numbers of specimens through neglect. The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Camden, N.J., earlier this month by the Michael J. Fox Foundation alleges that the Coriell Institute for Medical Research had inadvertently left a freezer open within the facility last spring, accidentally thawing more than 29,000 blood and cerebrospinal fluid specimens from Parkinson’s patients that had been collected for scientific study. According to the suit, the specimens were supposed to be stored at a temperature of more than 100 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, but Coriell breached that agreement when a freezer door was left open for an unknown length of time. The foundation entered into a $4.3 million contract with Coriell in 2011 to store the specimens. “We take seriously our obligation to recoup financial costs associated with this sample loss,” said foundation Chief Executive Officer Todd Sherer in a statement. The suit claims at least $150,000 in damages. Michael J. Fox, who is best known for roles on the 1980s television comedy Family Ties and the Back to the Future movie franchise, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the early 1990s. He created the foundation that bears his name in 2000, and it has become the largest nonprofit funder of research into the disease in the world. The Coriell Institute said in a statement that it intends to vigorously defend itself against the suit. Takeaway: Negligence issues in laboratories can arise from something as simple as allegedly leaving a door ajar.