Professor Sues NJ University After 380-Million-Year-Old Fossils End Up in Tennessee Landfill Over Unpaid UPS Bill

A lawsuit filed against William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, alleges that the institution’s failure to pay its UPS invoices resulted in the disposal of approximately 200 marine fossils, dating back 380 million years, in a landfill near Nashville, Tennessee. The claim, lodged in Superior Court in Passaic County on March 17, 2025, was brought by Martin Becker, a professor of environmental science and paleontologist at the university.

According to the suit, Becker had spent extensive time—described as “hundreds upon hundreds of hours”—amassing a collection of Devonian-age marine invertebrate fossils from the High Mountain area of Wayne. These fossils, representing about 80% of his life’s work, were intended for a collaborative monograph with a colleague in Florida. On June 18, 2024, Becker packaged the fossils into 19 boxes, each weighing between 20 and 60 pounds, and handed them over to the university’s mailroom supervisor, Raymond Boone, who is also named as a defendant. UPS collected the packages that day, with Boone assuring Becker that tracking and insurance details would follow—details Becker claims never arrived.

Weeks later, when the fossils failed to reach Florida, Becker pursued answers. The lawsuit states that after two calls, he received tracking information on August 20, showing the packages stalled in Parsippany, New Jersey. Over the next month, Boone repeatedly told Becker he was addressing the issue. On September 20, Boone suggested the packages might be with UPS’s fraud department. Becker contacted UPS directly on September 30, learning that the university’s unpaid invoices had led to the cancellation of its shipping account on April 24, 2024. The packages, intercepted as a result, were discarded in a Tennessee landfill, the suit claims, with Boone allegedly aware of the account issue since July 8.

The lawsuit accuses the university and Boone of negligence, noting that other packages had also been seized for the same reason. Becker seeks unspecified damages for the loss of his irreplaceable collection and medical costs tied to emotional distress. Neither Boone, who declined comment, nor Becker and the university, who did not respond to inquiries, have provided statements beyond the legal filing.

**Links and References:**

- Original article: [NBC News - 380-million-year-old fossils dumped in landfill after N.J. college didn't pay UPS bill, lawsuit claims](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/380-million-year-old-fossils-dumped-landfill-nj-college-didnt-pay-ups-bill-rcna143789)