Mario Batali's sexual misconduct trial has kicked off with the disgraced chef waiving his right to a jury.
In a Boston court on Monday, Batali requested a non-jury trial in his misconduct case, meaning the outcome will be decided by a judge, The Associated Press reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The trial comes more than four years after Batali first faced allegations of sexual misconduct in 2017, which led to his exit from the talk show The Chew. He was also later accused of sexual assault. Batali apologized for his "many mistakes" in 2017.
"My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses," he said. "I take full responsibility."
In an opening statement on Monday, prosecutor Nina Bonelli alleged Tene "wanted to get a celebrity picture with a celebrity chef, the defendant," but "instead of just selfies, the defendant began groping Ms. Tene's body," per Reuters. Bonelli also said Tene "realized it wasn't an isolated incident" when other allegations against Batali emerged in 2017.
Batali's attorney, meanwhile, denied the incident ever occurred and accused Tene of fabricating her allegations "for money and for fun." Batali could face over two years in jail if convicted.
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top GrammysSpeed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own roomSpeed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
