PEOPLESPRESSMA SEP 14, 2025
Public Hearing to Compel MIT to Disclose Withheld Details in Whistleblower Lawsuit Over Unethical Practices and Pollution
Monday, September 15 at 2 PM
Woburn, MA – A pivotal public hearing before Judge Helene Kazanjian is scheduled for 2 pm Monday, September 15, 2025, at Middlesex County Superior Court, Woburn, Massachusetts, aimed at compelling the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to release details it has been withholding in the ongoing whistleblower lawsuit filed by Dr. Babak Babakinejad, Ph.D.
As former lead researcher on MIT’s Media Lab Open Agriculture Initiative and Food Computer Project, Dr. Babakinejad exposed unethical practices such as: toxic fertilizer water reportedly dumped into a well providing public drinking water; the falsification of photographic results and growth data—such as pulling up nearby plants and using store bought plants to simulate success—for fundraising presentations to corporations, the U.S. government, and wealthy donors, including figures like Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein not only participated in almost a dozen forums at MIT, he actually had an office there. It has been alleged that, as the case unfolds, his presence will expose other unethical practices at the esteemed institution.
Promoted as revolutionary AI-driven hydroponic systems to solve the global food crisis, the project falsely claimed deployments like in refugee camps and controlled environments, despite failures in regulating temperature, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and humidity.
Additionally, the initiative involved illegal environmental pollution in Middleton, Massachusetts where the Bares Lab Open Agriculture Project occurred. Hundreds of gallons of hydroponic wastewater containing nitrogen levels up to 20 times the legal limit, was discharged into an underground injection well without proper permits, potentially contaminating local groundwater and private wells.
MIT allegedly hid these violations, denied toxic fertilizer discharges despite evidence, and only paid a minor fine for related cleaning solution dumping after Dr. Babakinejad’s initial disclosures.
Leveraging its nonprofit status, MIT protected these facts while retaliating against Dr. Babakinejad with termination after he raised compliance concerns on academic integrity, fraud, and hazards.
His June of 2024 lawsuit seeks accountability for wrongful termination and retaliation, with the hearing focused on forcing disclosure of internal documents and evidence to uncover the full extent of the misconduct.
Dr. Babakinejad’s whistleblowing, covered by The New York Times and ProPublica, led to the project’s shutdown in 2020 and a PLOS One publication retraction.
In an effort to increase public awareness, Dr. Babakinejad’s case was recently brought to the attention of Charlie Kirk in August. It is not known if Turning Point USA will be involved in the pursuit of accountability and justice going forward.
The environmental concerns raised by this action echo the narrative of the 1998 film
A Civil Action, the true story of a landmark environmental lawsuit in Woburn, Massachusetts. John Travolta plays Jan Schlichtmann, a Boston-based personal injury attorney, who took on the lawsuit in 1982 representing eight Woburn families whose children developed illnesses due to toxic contamination of the town’s groundwater. They were awarded approximately $10 million in damages.
Court Details:
Middlesex County Superior Court Courtroom 710
200 Tradecenter Drive, Woburn, Massachusetts 01801
(781) 939-2803
Updates to follow the proceedings.
Contact:
Rev. Merrie Turner
(540) 581-5562
Leave a Reply