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Counterclaim Filed

A woman who alleged that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's David Sabatini sexually harassed her has filed a counterclaim against him, the Boston Globe reports.

The Globe reported in August that a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion survey had sparked concerns about the lab and that a further investigation by the Whitehead Institute found that Sabatini violated its policy on sexual harassment. It added that the Whitehead and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute severed ties with Sabatini, while MIT placed him on leave. Sabatini then in October filed a lawsuit against his accuser, the Whitehead, and the institute's director for defamation. At that time, the Globe reported that he said he had had a consensual relationship with his accuser, who worked with him at the Whitehead, and that claims of harassment were fabricated.

In the new counterclaim, the Globe reports that the accuser alleges that Sabatini "groomed" her "while she was a graduate student under his mentorship," coerced her into sex, and created "a highly sexualized lab environment." She further alleges that he retaliated against her after she spoke with the investigators, it says.

The Globe adds that Sabatini's lawyers have denied the allegations.