Former MIT scientist wins $6M defamation verdict against colleague who accused him of sexual misconduct

A former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientist won a legal victory this week after losing his position following sexual misconduct allegations made by a female colleague.

Dr. David Sabatini, a former MIT biology professor and prominent biomedical researcher, was awarded $6 million in damages Friday after a jury found that his former colleague, Dr. Kristin Knouse, had defamed him.

At the time of the allegations, Sabatini had led a research lab at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for approximately 24 years. His work focused on cell biology and its connections to neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, aging and cancer.

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In 2021, Sabatini lost his position at Whitehead following an internal investigation into allegations made by Dr. Kristin Knouse, a younger colleague who worked at the institute.

The pair met in 2012 and began a sexual relationship in 2018, which ended the following year, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. Knouse later alleged the relationship was coerced.

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According to records from the investigation, Whitehead also found that Sabatini had fostered a sexualized atmosphere in his lab. He subsequently resigned from the institute.

Following his departure from Whitehead — and amid an ongoing investigation at MIT — Sabatini filed a defamation lawsuit against Knouse, "alleging claims for defamation, tortious interference with contractual, prospective, and advantageous relations," according to court documents.

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Knouse subsequently filed a counterclaim against Sabatini, alleging sexual harassment.

Throughout the legal battle, Sabatini maintained that he had never fostered an improper atmosphere in his lab and that his relationship with Knouse was consensual.

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During the trial, his attorney, Lisa Arrowood, cited text messages between the pair that she argued showed Knouse willingly participated in their relationship.

In one 2020 exchange, Knouse lamented that she was "pouring a lot of energy and emotion into a game I'm destined to lose" and wondered "if it's best for both of us to cut all but work-related ties for the foreseeable future."

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She concluded the message by writing, "But most times I feel at peace and want to do everything and anything I can to help you."

Sabatini and his legal team argued in court that the relationship was consensual. They also presented evidence they said showed that Knouse had become jealous of another woman in whom Sabatini was interested