Suffolk County jury awards MIT biologist $6 million in damages

A Suffolk County jury has unanimously awarded biologist David Sabatini $6 million in damages in his civil lawsuit against former colleague Kristin Knouse. The verdict, reached last week, also dismissed Knouse's claims of retaliation and harassment against Sabatini. Sabatini, a scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, described the legal outcome as a vivid and significant development after five years of professional upheaval.

The case stems from an internal investigation that found Sabatini violated a strict workplace relationship policy. Knouse, who is much younger than Sabatini, had accused him of inappropriate sexual conduct, leading to his ousting from the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge. For five years, Sabatini has reflected on this downfall, noting that he previously avoided headlines related to his removal from the institute. The jury's decision marks a definitive legal resolution to the civil portion of their dispute.