Celebrity chef Mario Batali acquitted on indecent assault and battery charges


Celebrity chef Mario Batali has been acquitted in his sexual misconduct case.
A judge found Batali not guilty on charges of indecent assault and battery after he was accused of groping and forcibly kissing a woman at a restaurant in 2017. The verdict came just one day after the trial began. Batali opted for a non-jury trial and left the decision in the judge's hands.
Judge James Stanton found that while Batali's conduct was "not befitting of a public person of his stature," there were "significant credibility issues" with his accuser, which "support the defendant's contention that her motive was financial gain."
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 woman, Natali Tene, testified that she was "surprised" and "alarmed" when Batali groped her while they were taking a photo together. The defense accused her of fabricating the claims "for money and for fun."
The judge ruled an examination of the photos suggested "a separation" between Batali and the accuser, and he said it was "significant" that there was a "three minute lapse of time" in the middle of them taking the photos together. "This is all allegedly as a serious sexual assault was happening," Stanton said, and he concluded the prosecution failed to prove Batali guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Batali's trial came more than four years after he first faced allegations of sexual misconduct, leading him to step down from the ABC talk show The Chew. He apologized at the time, saying his "behavior was wrong" and that "I take full responsibility."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
How generative AI is changing the way we write and speak
In The Spotlight ChatGPT and other large language model tools are quietly influencing which words we use
-
How long can Nato keep Donald Trump happy?
Today's Big Question Military alliance pulls out all the stops to woo US president on his peacemaker victory lap
-
Easy Money: the Charles Ponzi Story – an 'enlightening' podcast
The Week Recommends Apple Original podcast explores the 'fascinating' tale of the man who gave the investment scam its name
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed 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 show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed 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 room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia