Abstract
The University of California paid $4.5 million to outside law firms to defend itself and UCLA chemistry professor Patrick Harran from felony charges of labor code violations relating to the death of a staff researcher. The numbers were released by the UC Office of the President in response to a public records request filed by C&EN. Researcher Sheharbano (Sheri) Sangji was using a syringe to transfer tert-butyllithium, which ignites spontaneously in air, when the plunger came out of the syringe barrel. Sangji was not wearing a flame-resistant lab coat, and her clothes caught fire. She died from her injuries on Jan. 16, 2009. She was 23 years old and had received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Pomona College in May 2008. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against UC and Harran on Dec. 27, 2011. The charges cited failure to correct unsafe workplace conditions and procedures ...
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