Sabatini and Lehmann

 Lehman is the person who actually fired Sabatini.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62471f85d2216812c1b5565e/t/62658b9df119917020046a58/1650822046518/Complaint.pdf

Ruth Lehmann, Ph.D.

25. Dr. Lehmann earned her undergraduate degree and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Tübingen in Germany. Dr. Lehmann was elected as the Director of the Whitehead in 2019 and formally succeeded the prior Director in July 2020.

26. After taking over as the Director of the Whitehead, Dr. Lehmann held a dinner for many of the female investigators and trainees at the Whitehead, including Dr. Knouse. Dr. Lehmann stated during this dinner that she intended to “clean-up” the boys’ club at the Whitehead, or words to that effect.

27. Dr. Lehmann has publicly expressed the view that she believes that there is a lot of “sexism” in science.

28. During a presentation at the Whitehead, Dr. Lehmann shared that she had unsuccessfully tried to “oust” a male professor at a prior employer. Dr. Lehmann’s statements made it clear that she was proud of these efforts and was frustrated she did not succeed.

29. Though Dr. Sabatini supported Dr. Lehmann for the position as Director of the Whitehead, a position that Dr. Sabatini had been asked to consider but had turned down, she expressed animosity and hostility towards him after her appointment.

30. One example of this is an interaction that Dr. Lehmann and Dr. Sabatini had at a Whitehead retreat in the fall of 2019, which Dr. Lehmann attended as a guest before she took over her official duties as Director. During a dinner at the retreat, Dr. Sabatini asked Dr. Lehmann what she thought of the scientific presentations she had seen by Whitehead scientists at the retreat. Instead of responding professionally, Dr. Lehmann stared at Dr. Sabatini and asked in a hostile tone “What? Do you want me to tell you that you gave the best talk?” This comment was so unexpected and upsetting to Dr. Sabatini that he recounted it to several of his faculty colleagues at the Whitehead and other institutions.