A former Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor forced to leave his job over sexual-harassment allegations won a defamation lawsuit against his accuser, with a jury ordering her to pay him $6 million in damages.
David M. Sabatini, a biology professor and scientist, left a lab he ran at the Whitehead Institute in 2021 after allegations from Kristin Knouse, a younger employee at Whitehead, led to an investigation that found Sabatini sexually harassed employees.
Sabatini denied the allegations and sued Knouse in 2021, saying they had a consensual relationship and that the accusations came after he left Knouse for another woman. He accused Knouse in court documents of trying to get him fired and ruin his reputation. Knouse said their relationship was coerced.
A jury in Massachusetts' Suffolk County Superior Court on Friday said that Sabatini proved that Knouse defamed him, and that she interfered with his work contracts.
"It is a moment of sweet justice for Dr. Sabatini, whose life was ruined," said Sabatini's attorney, Lisa Arrowood.
Ellen Zucker, an attorney for Knouse, said they intended to appeal. She said her client "told the truth" in court and that other women who worked at Whitehead did the same.
"That the jury ignored all of this is deeply disappointing," Zucker said.
At Whitehead, Sabatini's work focused on how cells and organisms regulate growth, helping researchers understand how to treat cancer and diabetes. MIT and Whitehead, both in Cambridge, Mass., share faculty, facilities and research.
Billionaire Bill Ackman was a supporter of Sabatini, partnering with an anonymous donor in 2023 to give him $25 million to build a new lab. In a nearly 1,500-word X post after the jury verdict Friday, Ackman said, "While five years is a very long time to live under a reputational cloud, justice was finally served."
MIT and Whitehead didn't respond to requests for comment Saturday.
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