Paleontologist Sues University Over Fossils Disposed in Landfill

Martin Becker accuses William Paterson University and its mailroom supervisor of negligence after 80% of his rare fossil collection was lost due to unpaid shipping bills.

• Martin Becker, a William Paterson University professor, filed a lawsuit alleging the loss of 380-million-year-old fossils due to university negligence.
• The fossils, representing 18 years of work and 80% of Becker's collection, were intercepted and disposed of by UPS after the university failed to pay its shipping invoices.
• Mailroom supervisor Raymond Boone allegedly accepted the packages for shipment despite knowing the university's UPS account had been canceled.
• The fossils, part of a unique Devonian Age collection, were discarded in a landfill near Nashville, Tennessee, causing Becker significant emotional distress and professional setbacks.
• Becker is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney's fees, while the university claims it was unaware of the lawsuit.

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