BOSTON (AP) – Mario Battali was found not guilty of indecent assault and beating on Tuesday after a speedy trial in which the famous chef waived his right to a jury to decide his fate.
Batali, who pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and beating in 2019, faced 2 1/2 years in prison and would be required to register as a sex offender if convicted.
Batali’s prosecutor told the court she was “shocked, surprised and worried” when the 61-year-old former Food Network former man aggressively kissed and groped her while taking selfies at a restaurant in Boston in 2017.
The 32-year-old employee of a software company said she felt confused and powerless to do anything to stop Batali while he touched her without her consent. She has also filed a lawsuit pending in Suffolk County Supreme Court in Boston, which Batali’s lawyer claims gave her a financial incentive to lie.
Batali is among a number of high-ranking men who have faced public scrutiny during the #MeToo movement against sexual violence and harassment in recent years.
After four women accused him of inappropriate touching in 2017, he retired from day-to-day operations in his restaurant empire and left ABC’s then-closed cooking show, The Chew.
Batali also apologized, acknowledging that the allegations “coincided” with the way he acted.
“I made a lot of mistakes,” he said in an email newsletter at the time. “My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility. “
The trial began on Monday, with Batali – in a surprising move – waiving his right to a trial and choosing a judge instead to decide his fate.
Batali’s lawyer claims that the Boston attack never took place and that the prosecutor is not a credible witness, referring to the woman’s recent confession that she tried to avoid the jury, claiming to be clairvoyant. She was also charged in this case with violating the judge’s orders to keep an open mind and not discuss the case with others.
In passing sentence, Boston Municipal Court Judge James Stanton agreed with the allegation that the prosecutor had problems with credibility. Both the prosecutor and Batali left the courtroom without speaking to reporters.
Batali was once part of shows such as “Molto Mario” and “Iron Chef America”. But the ambitious career of the man with the ponytail and orange wearing a crocodile fell apart amid allegations of sexual abuse.
Last year, Batali, his business partner, and their New York restaurant company agreed to pay $ 600,000 to allow a four-year investigation by the New York Attorney General’s office into allegations that Batali and other employees sexually harassed employees.
In Boston, he had opened a branch of the popular Italian food market Eataly and the pizzeria Babbo e Enoteca in the port area of the city. But it has since been bought out of its stake in Eataly and the Babbo restaurant in Boston has been closed.
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