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10.05.2022 - 22:31 / variety.com
Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentMario Batali has been cleared of charges that he groped a woman at a Boston bar in 2017, as a judge ruled on Tuesday that the celebrity chef is not guilty of indecent battery and assault.Batali — the famed TV chef and restauranteur behind Eataly, who fell from grace in 2017, following a series of sexual misconduct allegations — was on criminal trial this week in Boston with a woman who was accusing him of forcible kissing and groping. Batali was facing two-and-a-half years in prison, if found guilty.The quick trial spanned two days. Batali waived his right to a trial by jury, and did not take the stand.
Boston Municipal Court Judge James Stanton found Batali not guilty, citing credibility issues with the accuser, Natali Tene. “It’s an understatement to say that Mr. Batali did not cover himself in glory on the night in question,” the judge said in his ruling, addinh that Tene “has significant credibility issues.”Batali, who had a sour look on his face for most of the trial, smiled big and hugged people on the way out of the courtroom.
The trial was carried on CourtTV, which also has been airing another celebrity trial: Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard.On the stand, Tene testified that Batali had kissed her, grabbed her behind and rubbed her breasts when she was taking selfies with the celebrity chef at a Boston bar in April 2017. “I’ve never been touched before like that,” Tene testified.
Warning: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing. Please read at your own discretion.
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sexual assault trial in Boston.Nearly five years into the #MeToo era, former prosecutors, legal experts and victims’ advocates say prosecuting sexual misconduct cases has proven to be no easier than before the reckoning that ignited a firestorm of accusations against powerful, seemingly untouchable men.Cases such as Batali's, if nothing else, reinforce how the criminal justice system remains “an extremely imperfect tool” for addressing the needs of survivors, said Emily Martin, a vice president at the National Women’s Law Center, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.“Failure to get a criminal conviction doesn’t mean that abuse didn’t happen or that it was okay,” she said. “It will often be extremely hard to prove sexual misconduct beyond a reasonable doubt, especially given the gender stereotypes that lead many people to be especially distrusting when women share their experiences of sexual assault.”Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum, who helped prosecute Batali, declined to comment specifically about the case Wednesday but said sexual assault cases are among the most challenging to prosecute.“Sexual assault victims are trusted less than nearly every other crime victim,” he said.
Mario Batali has been found not guilty of indecent assault and battery stemming from an alleged 2017 incident.According to multiple reports, the Boston Municipal Court Judge announced his ruling on Tuesday and agreed with the defense team's argument that the accuser had credibility issues. The trial lasted all of two days after Batali on Monday waived his right to a jury trial, meaning his fate was in the hands of the judge.Among the issues that stymied the accuser's credibility is that Batali's lawyer pointed to the accuser's recent admission of trying to avoid jury duty by claiming to be psychic.
CNN, Judge James Stanton described Batali’s actions “not befitting of a public person of his stature” back in 2017, noting the accuser’s “significant credibility issues” that supported the defendant’s “contention that her motive was financial gain.”Natali Tene, the 32-year-old woman who testified yesterday, said Batali’s behavior took place during her attempt to take a selfie at the restaurant in 2017. In her testimony, Tene described what happened, saying she “felt confused and powerless to do anything to stop the celebrity chef.”Anthony Fuller, Batali’s lawyer, said the assault did not happen, and said the accuser has financial incentive to lie about it. Fuller also detailed that the woman seeks more than $50,000 in damages in a separate suit against Batali that’s pending in Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston.Fuller also produced evidence to counter the woman’s claim in the form of receipts from the Boston Eataly, which Batali once owned.
Mario Batali was found not guilty.
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 decide his fate.
Celebrity chef Mario Batali was found not guilty today on a charge of indecent assault and battery stemming from an alleged 2017 groping incident in a Boston bar. It was the first criminal charge for the former The Chew chef amid a number of sexual assault and harassment allegations.
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The AP‘s report, the 32-year-old testified that she “felt confused and powerless to do anything to stop the celebrity chef.”“This happened to me and this is my life,” the woman added during questioning by prosecutors. “I want to be able to take control of what happened, come forward, say my piece and have everyone be accountable for their actions.”The woman also mentioned other women who stepped forward to voice similar experiences with Batali, saying she felt embarrassed by what happened until she heard their stories.Anthony Fuller, Batali’s lawyer, said the assault did not happen, and said the accuser has financial incentive to lie about it.
Celebrity chef Mario Batali's accuser testified Monday in the sexual misconduct trial. The trial began in Boston on Monday after Batali waived his right to a jury trial. A judge will decide the chef's fate at the conclusion of the trial.
Celebrity chef Mario Batali has waived his right to a jury trial and is opting to have a judge decide his fate in his sexual misconduct trial in Boston. Batali confirmed the decision to Boston Municipal Court Judge James Stanton as the trial opened Monday morning. Batali pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent assault and battery in 2019, stemming from accusations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman after taking a selfie with her at a Boston restaurant in 2017.The woman says Batali noticed her photographing him and invited her to take one together, then touched and kissed her repeatedly without her consent.