Doing a pi$$ poor installation is one thing that we can all snicker about. However, what happens under a desk, with its tangle of cords, wall warts, plugstrips, feet warmers, etc, is no one's fault other than the owner of the desk. It's not my job, nor is it Sparky's, to dress all the cords, make it all nice and neat, and then be perpetually responsible for the job.
I agree that if you leave the job nice and neat you can't be held forever liable for the job. But we all know this was not the case here. I have never seen even one instance where an IT person performed a job in a neat and workmanlike manner. And if it was installed neatly by someone else, as soon as they touch it it turns to crap.
This woman was an employee and had to use whatever her employer provided. It was not her responsibility (and I doubt that she even had the ability) to clean up the mess under her desk left there by the IT slob. If anything her action should be against her employer also. You are dead wrong if you think someone should take personal responsibility for an injury caused by someone else's negligence, particularly job related.
To those of you who don't like the bashing of IT people: clean up your act if it applies to you and it will stop. Simple.
-Hal