Evans v. Johns Hopkins University

Bruñe, C. J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court.

David Robert Evans (the plaintiff-appellant), while a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University (the defendant-appellee) working towards the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, was burned over various parts of his body as a result of an explosion which occurred while he was synthesizing glucose and acetone, an extremely volatile substance, to produce monoacetone glucose, in one of the appellee’s biology laboratories. He brought suit for damages against the University based upon its alleged negligence. The trial court, Warnken, J., granted the…