Scientists from 33 institutions challenge MIT to revisit David Sabatini case

Pressure on MIT to reinstate a professor who was forced out over claims of sexual misconduct. 25 Investigates brought you David Sabatini's first television interview after he was vindicated in a Boston courtroom. And supporters of Sabatini sent a formal letter to MIT. Investigative reporter Ted Daniel has obtained a copy of it. The letter is signed by prominent scientists from 33 institutions all over the world. It calls on MIT to conduct a fair and impartial review of the events that led to Sabatini's very public downfall. I had hoped, for example, that MIT would do the right thing. I said, look, you need to get all the documents. You need to talk to all these people. They did none of that. David Sabatini made it clear when he spoke with 25 Investigates. He feels MIT hung him out to dry when another scientist accused him Of coercing her into a year-long sexual relationship. Sabatini won a $6 million civil suit against Dr. Kristen Knauss. Sabatini sued her for defamation and blowing up his career. Now other scientists are showing their support for him. In a letter to MIT, they request a fair and impartial review, writing, This request is made considering evidence presented during the civil trial that may have not been available at the time of the original decision, as well as the unanimous jury verdict returned in his favor. That evidence includes Knauss' own text messages that appear to show the relationship was consensual. Then you write, in hindsight, it was quite aggressive. Slash, he too. What does that mean? Again, I was, I think I was making a joke about the fact that... I was more forward in that encounter, that I was stopping by his room. His loss of tenure at MIT was so damaging to his reputation that he became a pariah. For the past five years, our field has missed his presentations and insights. The scientists write. Sabatini was once considered a potential Nobel Prize contender for breakthroughs in understanding cancer and aging. MIT did not immediately respond to us about the letter. Sabatini says he lost a lot of his research when he left MIT, and he's relied on private funding to continue it. For 25 Investigates, I'm Ted Daniel.