The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Celebrity chef Mario Batali acquitted of sexual misconduct
BOSTON » 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 in a criminal case that arose from the global #Metoo movement against sexual abuse and harassment.
The 61-year-old former Food Network personality quickly strode out of the courtroom with his lawyers without commenting on the case, which centered on allegations that he aggressively kissed and groped a Boston woman while taking a selfie at a bar in 2017.
In delivering the verdict, Boston Municipal Court Judge James Stanton agreed with Batali’s lawyers that the accuser had credibility issues and that photos suggested the encounter was amicable.
“Pictures are worth a thousand words,” he said.
But the judge also rebuked Batali while suggesting the former star of shows like “Molto Mario” and “Iron Chef America” has already paid “a high cost” in terms of his diminished reputation and financial losses.
“It’s an understatement to say that Mr. Batali did not cover himself in glory on the night in question,” Stanton said after prosecutors argued he was visibly drunk in the photos. “His conduct, his appearance and his demeanor were not befitting of a public person of his stature at that time.”