Josh Reynolds/AP/ShutterstockThe verdict is in for Mario Batali's sexual misconduct trial.
On May 10, a Boston Municipal Court judge found Batali not guilty on a charge of indecent assault and battery, per a statement from District Attorney Kevin Hayden obtained by E! News. The verdict comes after Batali pleaded not guilty to a charge of allegedly kissing and groping a woman he took a selfie with at a restaurant in Boston in 2017.
According to The New York Times, the judge said, "It's an understatement to say that Mr. Batali did not cover himself in glory on the night in question." However, he added that the accuser "has significant credibility issues."
In his statement, Hayden noted that the DA's office is "disappointed in the judge's verdict," adding that they "will not [waver] in our support for the victim in this case."
Hayden further noted, "It can be incredibly difficult for a victim to disclose a sexual assault."
"When the individual who committed such an abhorrent act is in a position of power or celebrity, the decision to report an assault can become all the more challenging and intimidating," Hayden's statement read.
He continued, "I'm grateful that the victim in this case made the decision to come forward, and to every survivor of sexual assault who makes that difficult decision."
In 2018, Natali Tene, then 28, filed a civil lawsuit in Massachusetts, which was obtained by E! News at the time.
Per the documents, Tene alleged she saw Batali at Towne Stove and Spirits in Boston. There, she took a photo of him on her phone. Tene alleged that Batali noticed she was taking a photo and offered to take a selfie with her. Per her filing, Tene then claimed that Batali "grabbed and kissed Ms. Tene's face, rubbed her breasts, grabbed her buttocks, put his hands between her legs and groped her groin area, and kept forcefully squeezing her face into his as he kissed her repeatedly."
According to NBC News, criminal charges that are independent of the ongoing civil lawsuit were then brought against Batali.
"Mr. Batali must be held accountable criminally and civilly for his despicable acts," Tene's lawyer said in a statement, per the outlet. "Natali is grateful that the Suffolk County District Attorney's office in Boston has chosen to go forward in prosecuting Mario Batali on criminal charges of sexually assaulting her."
Tene also brought her accusation to the publication Eater for an article published in May 2018. In the article, Tene and six other women accused Balati of touching them inappropriately. The Iron Chef America alum declined to comment for the article.
In addition to the May 2018 article by Eater, the outlet also published a piece in December 2017, in which four women accused the chef of inappropriate touching. Following the December 2017 accusations, Batali was fired from ABC's The Chew and announced he was stepping away from his various businesses.
According to the Associated Press, Tene testified on May 9 during the trial that she had felt "confused, powerless and embarrassed to share her story until other women stepped forward to share similar encounters with Batali."
Batali's lawyer argued that the alleged assault never occurred, per Associated Press. His lawyer claimed that Tene "has a financial incentive to lie as she's seeking more than $50,000 in damages from Batali in a separate civil lawsuit." According to documents obtained by E! News, Tene's civil lawsuit is still pending in Suffolk, Mass.
E! News has reached out to Batali's attorney and has not heard back.