Mario Batali Charged With Assault and Battery in 2017 Groping Allegation
On Friday, Mario Batali will be arraigned in a Boston courthouse regarding an indecent assault and battery charge after a woman accused the restaurateur of groping and kissing her in 2017, according to the New York Times. Several women have also accused Batali of sexual harassment.
Batali has continuously denied the claims of sexual assault. Three other cases in Manhattan have been dropped because the New York Police Department did not have enough evidence to move forward with the allegations. The three additional women claimed that Batali assaulted them in restaurants that he owns, with one coming forward with rape allegations from nearly a decade ago. Batali also faces a lawsuit for sexual assault, issued by a woman named Natali Tene who similarly claims that Batali groped and kissed her without consent in a Boston bar.
In 2018, several women came forward to call out other food service big-shots with claims of sexual harassment. The other alleged perpetrators include chef John Besh, restaurateur Charlie Hallowell and Ken Friedman, co-owner of the Spotted Pig in Manhattan’s West Village neighborhood. Batali holds a stake in the Spotted Pig and has also faced allegations of sexual assault in the restaurant. Following the allegations, all four men have stepped away from their food service duties with Batali selling his stakes in 16 restaurants. Batali also cut ties with his show “The Chew” in 2017, which ran for seven years on ABC.
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