STAT+: Stunning $6M defamation verdict reverberates at MIT campus, global scientific community

The explosive court battle between a former star scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a younger colleague continues to roil the Cambridge campus, with some contending the $6 million defamation judgment against the younger protege will dissuade others from bringing sexual harassment claims, while others are lobbying the school to reevaluate the scientist’s position there. These are among the first ramifications to emerge on campus since David Sabatini, a renowned biologist who was ousted from the prestigious Whitehead Institute at MIT over his relationship with Kristin Knouse, won a seven-figure judgment for defamation by a jury in Boston in October. While no longer at the Whitehead Institute, Knouse still works at MIT as a biology professor, running a lab that studies organ regeneration; some students who work in her lab said they have received antagonistic emails from the public in response to the verdict. STAT+ Exclusive Story Already have an account? Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers Unlock this article — plus in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and news alerts. Already have an account? Log in View All Plans To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+. Subscribe