Mario Batal was acquitted of sexual harassment

Mario Battalion was found not guilty of lewd abuse and Battalion on Tuesday following a quick trial in which the notorious chef waived his right to a jury in a criminal case stemming from the global #MeToo movement against sexual violence and harassment. .

The 61-year-old former Food Network personality quickly walked out of court without commenting on the case, which was devoted to allegations he kissed and aggressively kissed a Boston woman while taking a selfie at a bar in 2017.

In delivering the verdict, Boston Municipal Court Judge James Stanton agreed with Batal’s lawyers that the defendant had credibility issues and that photos show the meeting was amicable.

“Pictures are worth a thousand words,” he said.

But the judge also reprimanded Batali and liked the former star of the show. mario s Iron Chef America You’ve already paid “high value” in terms of your reduced reputation and financial loss.

“It’s a low rating to say that Batal wasn’t covered in glory that night,” Stanton said after prosecutors claimed he was apparently drunk in the photos. “His demeanor, appearance and behavior did not match his public figure of stature at the time.”

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said he was disappointed in the verdict, but a grateful defendant emerged in the battle.

“It can be incredibly difficult for a victim to expose sexual violence,” she said in a statement. “When the person who has committed such blatant behavior is in a position of power or celebrity, the decision to report the attack can become more difficult and intimidating.”

Battalion, who pleaded not guilty to assault and misconduct in 2019, made a calculated bet that Stanton, a former Republican candidate for Charlie Baker, would be more positive than the Boston jury.

A jury search or a court trial is often a strategy used when a defendant may deem you undesirable for a jury.

Such was Michelle Carter, a teenager from Massachusetts who was charged with the infamous murder of calling her boyfriend to commit suicide with text messages. A girl from Plainville2022 Hulu Show starring El Fanning.

In Carter’s case, the strategy was not implemented and he was tried and sentenced to more than a year in prison.
Batal faced up to two and a half years in prison and would be required to register as a sex offender if convicted.

His client, who also left the courtroom without speaking to reporters, showed how confused he was and unable to do anything to stop the fight at the time.

But in his closing statement, Batal’s attorney, Anthony Fuller, described the 32-year-old Boston resident as a “permissible liar,” financially motivated because he filed a lawsuit against Batal seeking more than $50,000 in damages.

“Truth is a flexible concept in your world,” he said, referring to the recent confession of a woman who tried to avoid litigation by claiming to be the center of attention in a two-day trial.

Prosecutor Nina Bonelli concluded by saying that Batal’s lawyers tried to “demonize” the woman when she was in court for her behavior.

According to him, the woman tried to “reduce” the unwanted touching by simply “smiling” for the photos.

“Kiss, fight. He never asked for it. “He never agreed to that,” she said. “I just wanted to take a selfie.”

The Battalion was arguably the most famous chef and restaurant accused of sexual misconduct at the height of the #MeToo movement, which hit the food and beverage industry particularly hard.

After four women accused him of inappropriate touching in 2017, he left day-to-day operations at his restaurant and later left the discontinued ABC cooking show. Chewing.

Batallón also apologized and admitted that the accusations “fit” his actions.

“I made a lot of mistakes,” he said in an email newsletter at the time. “My behavior was wrong and I have no excuse. I take full responsibility.”

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

In Boston, he opened a branch of the popular Italian food market Eataly and Babbo Pizzeria and Enoteca on the edge of town. But he has since bought his stake in Eataly and the Babbo restaurant in Boston has closed.