The Associated Press contributed to this report. Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said he was disappointed in the verdict but grateful Batalis accuser had come forward. Mr. Batali, 61, smiled and nodded as the judge acquitted him. Celebrity chef Mario Batali was found not guilty Tuesday at a bench trial on charges of indecent assault and battery related to the alleged groping of a star-struck Mario Batali In 2019, he and his Batalipleaded not guilty to indecent assault and batteryon allegations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman after taking a selfie with her at a Boston restaurant in 2017. Celebrity chef Mario Batali listens on the first day of his trial, Monday, May 9, 2022, in Boston Municipal Court. Legal Statement. Celebrity chef Mario Batali listens at Boston Municipal Court on the first day of trial on Monday. BOSTON Celebrity chef Mario Batalis trial on sexual misconduct charge in Boston has been set for April. Both mens signatures appeared on the settlement agreement, dated Thursday. Another woman, Alexandra Brown, filed a similar suit based on an incident with Mr. Batali during a selfie session in Bostons Chinatown neighborhood. After the verdict, Kevin Hayden, the Suffolk County district attorney, issued a statement expressing disappointment and acknowledging how difficult it can be for a victim to discuss sexual assault. Woman at trial says celebrity chef Mario Batali groped her at Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mr. Batali, who lost his job on the ABC talk and cooking show The Chew, still faces at least two civil suits and a potential criminal trial. The New York Police Department investigated three sexual assault complaints against Mr. Batali, but a department official confirmed in 2019 that it had closed those investigations because of a lack of evidence and the statute of limitations. He pleaded not guilty. He's round and likable, his hair matches his signature Crocs, and he can make a mean pot of ragu. Steven Senne/Pool via REUTERS. Just before he ruled, Judge Stanton also admonished Mr. Batali. Counsel delivered closing arguments later Tuesday, after which the judge delivered the verdict. Pictures are worth a thousand words, he said. Celebrity chef Mario Batali is seated at Boston Municipal Court on the second day of his sexual misconduct trial on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. I take full responsibility.. The 61-year-old former Food Network personality quickly strode out of the courtroom with his lawyers without commenting on the case, which centered on allegations that he aggressively kissed and groped a Boston woman while taking a selfie at a bar in 2017. One of those women, Trish Nelson, a former server who waited on Mr. Batali, said she wasnt surprised at the verdict in the Boston case. Chefs Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich have agreed to pay $600,000 to at least 20 former employees who were sexually harassed. Mario Batali was found not guilty of indecent assault and battery on Tuesday, following a swift trial in which the celebrity chef waived his right to have a jury A judge has handed down a not guilty verdict for Mario Batali. ", But Fuller argued the accuser isn't a credible witness. Batali denied assaulting the woman and no charges have been filed. He pleaded not guilty and the "The defense in this case is very simple: This didn't happen," Fuller said in his opening statement earlier in the day. or redistributed. "This happened to me and this is my life," the woman responded when prosecutors asked why she'd come forward. Celebrity and fame does not absolve someone from following the law.. "She's not being truthful," Fuller said. Catherine McGloin contributed reporting from Boston. Disgraced chef Mario Batali to "This is being fabricated for money and for fun.". Later that year, the New York State attorney general, Letitia James, said the businesses built by Mr. Batali and a former partner, Joe Bastianich, revealed a sexualized culture so rife with harassment and retaliation that it violated state and city human rights laws. After four women accused him of inappropriate touching in 2017, Batali stepped down from day-to-day operations at his restaurant empire and left the since Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. "Squeezing my vagina to pull me closer to him, as if that's a normal way to grab someone. Brianna Pintens, who started as a back waiter at Del Posto and quickly moved up to a more prominent role in the dining room, said harassment was so prevalent that female employees shared tips on the best routes to avoid catcalls as they made their way to the bathroom. Mario Batali was one of the most popular celebrities around. Celebrity chef Mario Batali listens on the first day of his trial, Monday, May 9, 2022, in Boston Municipal Court. Reports on the restaurant groups progress must be delivered to the attorney general every six months. Yvonne Lattouf-Delgado was found dead Wednesday in the northwest suburb. The business has been reconfigured and no longer uses that name. Number 8860726. Check out what clicked this week in entertainment. We want to hear from you. The 32-year-old Boston-area software company worker said she felt confused and powerless to do anything to stop Batali. Francesco Sapienza for The New York Times. They also said they were told to wear makeup and get breast implants and were referred to in front of customers as "little girl" and "sensitive.". Celebrity chef Mario Batali places items on a table in a court room at Boston Municipal Court on the first day of trial on Monday. Market data provided by Factset. I have made many mistakes and I am so very sorry that I have disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team, Batali said in an email newsletter at the time. I take full responsibility.". She also strongly pushed back at Fuller for questioning why none of the many photos taken with Batali that night showed the alleged assault. Batali was once a Food Network fixture on shows like Molto Mario and Iron Chef America. But the ponytail- and orange Croc-wearing personalitys high-flying career crumbled amid sexual misconduct allegations in recent years. Foul play was not suspected. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. They revealed incidents in which she lied to get out of a gym membership and, in an effort to avoid jury duty, told another court that she was clairvoyant. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. But in his closing statements, Batalis lawyer Antony Fuller portrayed the 32-year-old Boston-area resident as an admitted liar who is financially motivated because shes filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50,000 in damages from Batali. Chefs Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich to pay $600K to victims of sexual Such was the case for Michelle Carter, the Massachusetts teen infamously charged with manslaughter for urging her suicidal boyfriend to kill himself in text messages and who was the subject of The Girl from Plainville, a 2022 Hulu show starring Elle Fanning. My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. Batali has offered an apology, acknowledging the allegations "match up" with ways he has acted. 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Photographs from the chef's "Just a lot of touching.". Celebrity chefs Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich and their New York City restaurant company have agreed to pay $600,000 to at least 20 former employees who were sexually harassed and retaliated against on the job. "I have made many mistakes," he said in an email newsletter at the time. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced, 2019: Mario Batali facing criminal charges in alleged Boston groping incident, Batali was charged with indecent assault and battery, allegedly forcibly kissing and groping a woman at a Boston restaurant. "I thank the men and women who reported this abhorrent behavior for their bravery, selflessness, and commitment to accountability.". Instead of playing against the Stars on Thursday, Domi was traded to them. The case is one of a handful of criminal prosecutions of celebrities following the explosion of the #MeToo movement in 2017, which exposed widespread patterns of sexual harassment or abuse of women in multiple spheres of American life. But the judge also rebuked Batali while suggesting the former star of shows like Molto Mario and Iron Chef America has already paid a high cost in terms of his diminished reputation and financial losses. Batali had previously settled a $5.25 million An investigation into the once-towering Manhattan restaurant business built by the chef Mario Batali and his former partner Joe Bastianich revealed a sexualized culture so rife with harassment and retaliation that it violated state and city human rights laws, the New York State attorney general, Letitia James, announced on Friday. His lawyers didnt respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday but have previously said the charge filed in 2019 is without merit.. Market data provided by Factset. The investigation began in 2017, when the #MeToo movement exploded and news reports about Mario Batalis sexually aggressive behavior began to surface. Mario Batali Ms. Pintens told a general manager, who discouraged her from telling the human resources manager about it and suggested she figure out how to deal with it on her own. A judge will decide the chef's fate at the conclusion of the trial.

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