An employee has filed a complaint in the Ohio Court of Claims, asking Ohio University to cover the cost of damages caused to her truck by Lausche Heating Plant.
Theresa Thompson, manager of materials, procurement and billing in Facilities Management, said her 2003 Chevrolet Silverado was damaged while it was parked on the OU campus.
Thompson parks her truck by a Lausche Heating Plant smokestack, according to the claim she filed.
The waste material that “spews” from the smokestack damaged the paint and primer on the truck, according to the claim.
“… this damage was caused by the university…” Thompson wrote in the claim.
Thompson took her truck to a body shop, which estimated the cost of repairs to be $6,259.82, according to the claim. She asked the university to pay the cost of the repairs, describing the “otherwise excellent condition” of her truck.
“I trust that the folks in Legal Affairs will take care of the matter in due course,” said OU President Roderick McDavis.
OU’s Office of Legal Affairs sent Thompson a document at her request detailing past vehicle damage incidents for which the university has paid.
The document lists 197 incidents dating from July 2003 to May 2007 in which OU paid for vehicle damages. Of the incidents listed, all but four of them mention smokestack damage. OU paid a total of $685,456.24 for smokestack-related damage listed in the document.
Thompson included this document, as well as the repair estimate from the body shop and photos of her truck, in her claim.
Thompson and John Biancamano, director of Legal Affairs, both could not be reached for comment.
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