David Sabatini Wins $6 Million Defamation Verdict Against Kristin Knouse: What the Jury Decided

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Last updated: October 18, 2026. Both sides have said they plan further legal action, and details may change.

BOSTON — A Massachusetts jury has awarded $6 million in damages to David Sabatini, a former MIT biology professor, after finding that fellow scientist Kristin Knouse defamed him when she accused him of sexual misconduct. The verdict came on Friday, October 16, 2026, in Suffolk County Superior Court, ending a legal fight that began more than five years ago. Knouse’s attorneys have said they plan to appeal.

Key Takeaways

• A Suffolk County jury ordered Kristin Knouse to pay David Sabatini $6 million plus interest for defamation and interfering with his ability to make a living.
• The jury also rejected Knouse’s claim that Sabatini coerced her into a sexual relationship.
• Earlier investigations by the Whitehead Institute and MIT found that Sabatini violated workplace relationship policies, which he disputes.
• Knouse’s attorneys plan to appeal, and Sabatini’s team plans to challenge the dismissal of his claims against the Whitehead Institute.

What the Jury Decided

The jury of seven women and six men ordered Knouse to pay the $6 million, plus interest, after finding that she had defamed Sabatini and interfered with his ability to earn a living. According to Sabatini’s attorney, Lisa Arrowood, the jurors also found that Sabatini did not sexually harass Knouse and that she defamed him by calling him a sexual predator. Reports on the trial also say the jury rejected Knouse’s allegation that Sabatini coerced her into a sexual relationship. Arrowood described the outcome as a restoration of her client’s good name, and Sabatini told Fox News Digital that hearing the verdict was overwhelming.

How the Dispute Began

Sabatini led a research laboratory at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for about 24 years, focusing on cell biology and its links to cancer, diabetes, aging and neurodegenerative disease. He has said that he and Knouse, then a fellow at the institute, began a consensual sexual relationship in 2018 that ended when he began pursuing another woman. Knouse accused him of sexual harassment in 2021. A 2021 internal investigation by the Whitehead Institute found that Sabatini had violated its policy on workplace relationships, although he has maintained that the relationship was consensual and has said the investigation was biased. MIT conducted its own review, which found that he had engaged in a sexual relationship with a person over whom he held a career-influencing role and recommended revoking his tenure, and Sabatini resigned from MIT in April 2022.

The Lawsuits and Counterclaim

After leaving Whitehead, and while the MIT investigation was still under way, Sabatini sued Knouse, alleging defamation and interference with his contracts and future opportunities, and Knouse responded with a counterclaim alleging sexual harassment. His claims against the Whitehead Institute and its director were dismissed in 2025, and the institute has said that all claims against it were dismissed. Sabatini says the allegations cost him his career and strained his family life. He discussed a faculty position at New York University in 2022, but the university did not offer him a job after students and faculty protested the possible hiring, and he later took a position at a laboratory in the Czech Republic and now splits his time between Prague and the United States.

What Happens Next

Knouse’s legal team has said it will appeal the verdict and has pointed out that multiple women testified about their experiences in Sabatini’s lab. Sabatini’s lawyers are preparing to challenge the earlier dismissal of his claims against the Whitehead Institute, and he has said he hopes to rebuild his career and eventually return to working mainly in the United States. Knouse remains an assistant professor of biology at MIT and a faculty member of its Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. Because appeals are expected, the verdict may not be the final word in the case, and this article will be updated as new developments are reported.

Sources: The Boston Globe, Fox News, PEOPLE via Yahoo and Wikipedia, as of October 18, 2026.

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