A Suffolk County jury has awarded $6 million in damages to David Sabatini, the former MIT and Whitehead Institute scientist whose career collapsed after a colleague accused him of sexual misconduct. The jury found that Kristin Knouse defamed Sabatini and interfered with his ability to make a living, and directed her to pay the award plus interest.
Knouse, a fellow scientist, had alleged that Sabatini subjected her to a coercive relationship and fostered a hostile, sexualized workplace in his Cambridge lab. She had brought her own suit against him, but the verdict represented a sharp rebuke of that claim.
The case drew wide attention as a test of how #MeToo-era accusations hold up in court. Sabatini was ousted from his position after the allegations surfaced, and Friday's verdict in his favor marks a significant legal reversal.