Mario Batali settles 2 sexual assault lawsuits – NBC10 Philadelphia

Mario Batali has agreed to settle two Massachusetts lawsuits accusing the celebrity chef of sexual assault, the women’s attorneys said Wednesday.

More than two months later, the decision to review the cases came the former Food Network personality was cleared of criminal charges stems from allegations by one of the women who prosecutors allege aggressively kissed and groped her during a selfie at a downtown Boston bar in 2017.

“The issues were resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. We are unable to comment further due to confidentiality obligations,” attorneys for the two women, Eric Baum and Matthew Fogelman, said in an emailed statement.

An email seeking comment was sent to Batali’s attorney on Wednesday.

The women alleged that Batali sexually assaulted them on several occasions. The allegations by one of the women led to the only criminal case against the celebrity chef and restaurateur at the height of the #MeToo movement.

In May, one woman testified that at the time she felt confused and powerless to do anything to stop Batali.

But Batali was acquitted of indecent assault and battery after a Boston judge agreed with Batali’s lawyers that the accuser had trust issues and that the photos showed the encounter was amicable.

Batali’s lawyers portrayed the accuser as a liar who was financially motivated by her 2018 civil suit against the chef.

If convicted, Batali faces up to 2 1/2 years in prison and must register as a sex offender.

Another woman who sued Batali in 2019 also alleged that Batali groped and kissed her at a restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood in 2016.

Batali retired from the day-to-day operations of his restaurant empire and left ABC’s defunct cooking show “The Chew” after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced.

Last year, Batali, his business partner and their New York restaurant company agreed to pay $600,000 to end a four-year investigation by the New York attorney general’s office into allegations that Batali and other employees sexually harassed employees.

Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Assault Resource Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.