Mario Bataliis once again facing allegations of assault.
On Friday, the chef, 58, will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on charges of indecent assault and battery in connection with a March 2017 incident at a restaurant in the Back Bay are of Boston, Massachusetts, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office confirms to PEOPLE.
The criminal charges against Batali stem from a series of allegations from a woman, who claims the chef kissed and groped her without consent two years ago,according toThe Boston Globe.
In a statement issued to PEOPLE, Batali’s attorney, Anthony Fuller, a partner of Hogan Lovells Law, denied the allegations and expressed Batali’s intent to fight them.
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When Batali noticed, the woman said he allegedly called her over and she thought he would reprimand her or ask her to delete it.
She said she declined his advances and left with a friend. If convicted, Batali faces a 2½-year sentence in jail and would be required to register as a sex offender, according to the outlet.
The woman made similar allegations in a civil lawsuit she filed in August 2018.
“Without asking her permission or giving her any warning, and without having received any indication that she had any sexual interest in him whatsoever, which she did not, Batali sexually assaulted her,” the woman’s lawyers wrote in the civil complaint, according toThe Boston Globe.
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This isn’t the first time that Batali has been accused of sexual assault.
One of the womenaccused Batali of drugging and sexually assaulting herwhile she was unconscious in 2005.
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At the time, the chef admitted to acting inappropriately but denied ever sexually assaulting anyone.
“I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt,” Batali said in a statement toEaterabout the accusations. “Although the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not been revealed to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted.”
“That behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation or discomfort I have caused to my peers, employees, customers, friends and family,” he added.
When the60 Minutesallegationsurfaced, Batali also responded: “I vehemently deny the allegation that I sexually assaulted this woman. My past behavior has been deeply inappropriate and I am sincerely remorseful for my actions.”
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In January, NYPD officialsclosed three sexual assault investigations involving the chef,tellingtheNew York Times, “the charges in two of the case were beyond the New York State statute of limitations, which was lifted in 2006, but not made retroactive,” while the third allegation was dropped due to lack of criminal evidence.
At the time, the NYPD declined to comment to PEOPLE on the specifics of any particular investigation.
More than a year after the initial allegations surfaced, Batalistepped away from his restaurant empire— including his high-profile eateries across the globe like Babbo and Del Posto in New York City — and sold all of his shares in Eataly, an Italian marketplace/restaurant chain.
The chef’s longtime business partner Joe Bastianich and sister Tanya Bastianich Manuali informed Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group staffers in a letter that Batali’s involvement was done after 20 years,accordingto theNewYork Times.
“[Batali] will no longer profit from the restaurants in any way, shape or form,” Manuali reportedly wrote in the letter, which was issued in March.
Batali also confirmed the news, telling PEOPLE in a statement: “I have reached an agreement with Joe and no longer have any stake in the restaurants we built together. I wish him the best of luck in the future.”
source: people.com
