- Celebrity chef Mario Batali has been criminally charged in an alleged groping incident from 2017, The Boston Globe reported Thursday.
- A woman accused Batali of groping and kissing her against her will in a Boston restaurant in 2017.
- Batali is one of a number of celebrities and entertainers whose careers have been shaken by multiple sexual misconduct allegations revealed amid the #MeToo movement.
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The celebrity chef Mario Batali has been charged with one count of indecent assault and battery stemming from allegations that he forcefully groped and kissed a woman in a Boston restaurant in 2017, The Boston Globe reported Thursday.
The criminal complaint was reportedly filed in a Boston city court on April 4 and details a woman's allegations that Batali groped and kissed her against her will.
The woman told police the encounter began when she spotted Batali in a restaurant and snapped a picture of him over her shoulder, The Globe reported.
When Batali noticed her and told her to "come here right now," she approached him, apologized, and offered to delete the photo, court records say, according to The Globe.
But instead, Batali reportedly suggested they take a selfie. As they posed for the picture, the woman said, Batali put his arm around the woman, groped her chest, kissed her face, and touched her groin.
She accused Batali of "pulling on her face" and asking if she wanted to come back to his hotel room. She added that she believed Batali was drunk, due to "the smell and half closed eyes," the complaint said, according to The Globe.
Batali was fired from 'The Chew' and his restaurant group severed ties after multiple allegations surfaced
Batali is one of a number of celebrities and entertainers whose careers have been shaken by sexual misconduct allegations stemming from the #MeToo movement.
In December 2017, Eater published accounts by four women who previously worked for or with Batali, who accused him of inappropriate touching and behavior.
As a result, Batali's restaurant group ended its ties with him and he was fired from the ABC daytime talk show, "The Chew."
Batali previously apologized for his behavior, writing in a newsletter that he took "full responsibility" for his actions. The apology was roundly criticized at the time, because it included a recipe for pizza dough cinnamon rolls.
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- Walmart is cutting ties with celebrity chef Mario Batali in the wake of sexual misconduct and groping allegations
- Mario Batali's pastas, sauces, and cookbooks have been removed from Eataly, the massive Italian food store he helped bring to America