Boston (AP) – The delayed trial for allegations of sexual misconduct in the pandemic of famous chef Mario Batal will begin Monday in Boston.
If convicted, Batal will face up to 2.5 years in prison and be required to register as a sex offender. He is expected to be in court for the entire trial, which is expected to take approximately two days after the jury selection is completed, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office said.
Battalion attorneys did not comment until Monday before a Boston Municipal Court jury began the selection process. The chef’s lawyers had previously said the allegations were baseless.
His defendant also filed a Civil lawsuit against the fight Seeking unspecified damages for “severe emotional distress” still pending in Boston’s Suffolk District Court. His lawyer did not respond to letters on Friday.
Batal is among several high-profile men who have faced public criticism in recent years during the #MeToo social movement against sexual violence and harassment.
The 61 -year -old was a former member of the Food Network on shows like “Much Mario” and “Iron Chef America”. But the high career of a ponytail and orange crochet was marred by allegations of sexual misconduct.
Four women accused him of improper engagement in 2017, after which he quit his day-to-day business at his restaurant empire and quit the ABC-interrupted culinary show “The Chew.”
The Battalion apologized and admitted that the allegations were “appropriate” to his actions.
“I made a lot of mistakes and I regret that I disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team,” he said in an email newsletter at the time. “My behavior is wrong and I have no reason. I take full responsibility. “
Last year, Batal, his business partner, and their New York restaurant company agreed to pay $ 600,000 to organize the New York Attorney General’s four-year investigation into allegations that the Battalion, restaurant managers and other workers sexually harass employees.
In Boston in 2016 he opened the Eataly branch of the famous Italian food market in the Prudential Center in the center and in 2015 the Babbo Pizzeria and Enoteca in the city’s port district.
Source: Huffpost
