Boston jurors weigh conflicting accounts in Sabatini cases — STAT News
In Boston, a panel of 12 jurors is weighing conflicting accounts in two civil lawsuits involving molecular biologist David Sabatini. The trial lasted three weeks. Before reaching a verdict, the jurors must assess hours of conflicting testimony, mutual accusations, and text messages exchanged by the two scientists.
Conflicting accounts
As STAT News reports, one account is that Sabatini, as a mentor, allegedly pressured a younger colleague into sex and maintained a hostile work environment in his laboratory in Cambridge. Another account portrays the scientist as a victim of a rejected former lover and the #MeToo movement, which, according to this account, went too far.
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Case context
The trial highlighted issues of power relationships and permissive sexual norms at the Whitehead Institute, where Sabatini ran his own laboratory. The report notes that the years-long conflict demonstrates the particular nature of leading scientific laboratories, whose directors have significant influence. It also raises questions about maintaining professional boundaries in close-knit and diverse teams amid changing standards of conduct.
