Mario Batali has been found not guilty of groping a woman at a bar.
The celebrity chef on charges of indecent assault and battery, after he was accused of kissing and groping a fan as she tried to take a selfie in 2017.
The 61-year-old appeared in court and waived his right to a jury on Monday, instead choosing to have Judge James Stanton decide on his fate.
According to reports, the judge found him not guilty of both after less than two full days.
It had been claimed that Batali grabbed the woman’s ‘intimate areas’ during a chance encounter at a bar in Boston – allegations he denied.
His alleged victim told the court that she was having a drink with a friend at a bar when she saw the noted cook.
He reportedly called her over and suggested that they take selfies together before allegedly touching her without permission.
‘It all happened so fast,’ she said on the stand, via Reuters. ‘Essentially the whole time there was touching of my sensitive feminine areas.
‘I want to be able to take control of what happened and come forward, say my piece, get the truth out there – and everybody be accountable for their actions.’
‘His right hand is all over my breasts, all over my rear end, all between my legs,’ she continued.
‘I’ve never been grabbed like that before … squeezing my vagina and pulling me closer to him. As if that’s a normal way to pull someone in.’
The Chew star was facing two-and-a-half years in prison and registering on the sex offender’s register if he was found guilty.
The reports that he didn’t appear on the stand in the case, and his team didn’t call any witnesses.
