MASS. SUPER. CT.Litigation
Boston jury awards ex-MIT scientist David Sabatini $6 million in defamation case against accuser
A Suffolk County jury on October 16, 2026, ordered biologist Kristin Knouse to pay former Whitehead Institute scientist David Sabatini $6 million plus interest, finding she defamed him and interfered with his ability to make a living. Sabatini was removed from his Whitehead lab in 2021 after an investigation. The jury also rejected Knouse's counterclaims, including that their relationship was coercive, Fox News reported. Her lawyer said she intends to appeal.
Filing (The Boston Globe) → · Fox News
Key points
- The verdict came from a jury of seven women and six men in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston.The Boston Globe
- Sabatini sued Whitehead after losing his lab; Knouse countersued, and the institute was later dropped, leaving the two scientists as the only litigants.The Boston Globe
- The jury rejected Knouse's counterclaims, including her allegation that Sabatini coerced her into a sexual relationship, Fox News reported.Fox News
- A 2021 Whitehead investigation found Sabatini's relationship with Knouse violated the institute's workplace relationship policy.The Boston Globe
- Knouse's attorney, Ellen Zucker, said her client intends to appeal; Sabatini's attorney, Lisa Arrowood, welcomed the verdict.The Boston GlobeFox News
- Knouse is an assistant professor of biology at MIT; Sabatini took a position at a laboratory in the Czech Republic.The Boston Globe