Mario Batali was found not guilty of indecent assault and assault on Tuesday after a swift trial in which the celebrity chef waived his right to let a jury decide his fate. Batali, who pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and assault in 2019, faced up to 2 1/2 years in prison and would have had as a sex offender if convicted.
Batali’s accuser testified Monday how she was “shocked, surprised and alarmed” when the 61-year-old former Food Network personality aggressively kissed and fondled her while they were taking a selfie at a Boston restaurant in 2017.
The 32-year-old software company employee said she felt confused and powerless to do anything to stop Batali when he touched her without her consent. She has also filed a lawsuit pending in Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston, which Batali’s attorney said gave her financial incentive to lie.
Celebrity chef Mario Batali reacts after being sentenced on the second day of his trial, Tuesday 10 Stuart Cahill/AP
Batali is among a number of high-profile men who have been publicly held accountable against sexual abuse and harassment during the #MeToo movement in recent years.
After four women accused him of inappropriate touching in 2017, he retired from the day-to-day running of his restaurant empire and left the now-defunct ABC cooking show The Chew.
Batali also apologized, admitting that the allegations “are consistent” 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 opened on Monday when Batali – surprisingly – waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead to let the judge decide his fate.
Batali’s attorney argued that the Boston attack never happened and that the prosecutor was not a credible witness, addressing the woman’s recent admission of attempting to avoid jury duty by claiming to be psychic. She was also accused in that case of violating the judge’s order to keep an open mind and not to discuss the case with others.
In delivering the verdict, Boston City Court Judge James Stanton agreed with the claim that the prosecutor had credibility issues. Both the prosecutor and Batali left the courtroom without speaking to reporters.
Batali was once a fixture on shows like Molto Mario and Iron Chef America. But the ponytail and orange croc personality’s high-flying career collapsed amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Last year Batali, his business partner and their New York restaurant company agreed to pay $600,000 to resolve 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 marketplace Eataly and a Babbo Pizzeria e Enoteca in the city’s Seaport District. But he has since been bought out by his stake in Eataly, and the Babbo restaurant in Boston has closed.