Celebrity chef Mario Batali settled sexual assault lawsuits filed against him by two women Wednesday.
“The matters have been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. We cannot comment further due to confidentiality obligations,” said Eric Baum and Matthew Fogelman, the attorneys for the two women, according to The Daily News. The former Food Network personality was cleared on a criminal charge two months ago that was connected to the accusations made by one of the women.
Chef Mario Batali has settled two lawsuits with women who accused him of touching them inappropriately in separate incidentshttps://t.co/rJDWN3nYAN
— CNN (@CNN) August 24, 2022
The two women alleged that Batali sexually assaulted them on separate occasions. One of the women testified against Batali in May, but the Boston judge and Batali’s lawyers highlighted credibility issues within her testimony. Photographs that were presented in court suggested the encounter between the woman and Batali was amicable, and not forced by Batali, according to City TV News. Batali was subsequently acquitted of indecent assault and battery, reported the outlet.
Batali’s lawyers alleged the woman was financially motivated to come after the famous chef, and suggested this matter was potentially linked to a civil lawsuit she brought against the chef in 2018. (RELATED: Mumford & Sons’ Marcus Mumford Reveals He Was The Victim Of Sexual Abuse As A Child
Disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali has agreed to settle two Massachusetts lawsuits that accused him of sexual assault, attorneys said on Wednesday.
In 2018, Anderson Cooper reported on some of the allegations against Batali for 60 Minutes. https://t.co/heeesbKVdY
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) August 25, 2022
The other woman sued Batali in 2019 and alleged Batali groped her and forced unwanted kisses upon her when they were at a restaurant in the area of Boston’s Chinatown, according to City TV News.
The disgraced chef routinely wore orange crocs when out and about and was known to be in the company of big-name celebrities prior to the demise of his career. He penned a series of cookbooks, and was prominently featured on television. In December 2017, four women came forward with allegations of misconduct against him, according to The Daily News.
“My behavior was wrong, and there are no excuses,” he said at the time. “I take full responsibility.”