Celebrity chef Mario Batali has pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent assault and battery from 2017. On Friday 24, Batali was arraigned in Boston Municipal Court, where it was believed that in 2017, he had grabbed and forcibly tried to kiss a woman at a Boston bar.
Batali was released on his own recognisance following a hearing that only lasted minutes. Batali’s attorneys said, “Mr. Batali denies the allegations in both this criminal complaint and the civil complaint filed last August. The charges, brought by the same individual without any new basis, are without merit. He intends to fight the allegation vigorously, and we expect the outcome to fully vindicate Mr. Batali.”
In the past, Batali has faced numerous accusations of misconduct, but this is the first one to be criminal. In 2017, Batali was accused of sexually harassing and inappropriately touching women, as well as incidents in 2004 and 2005 where Batali was accused of drugging and assaulting women. Earlier this year, the New York Police Department closed to investigations of sexual misconduct surrounding Batali.
