Mario Batali Reportedly Won’t Be Charged for 2 Alleged Assaults in NYC

Disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali reportedly won’t be facing criminal charges in NYC for now. Sources tell TMZ that an NYPD investigation looking into two alleged sexual assaults has been closed after police couldn’t find enough witnesses or evidence.

Last spring, news came out that police were looking into two cases — one that allegedly happened at Babbo in 2004, and one that allegedly happened at the Spotted Pig in 2005, both claiming sexual assault.

Eater has reached out to Batali’s team. B&B Hospitality Group, where he remains an owner of restaurants like Babbo and Del Posto, declined to comment. The District Attorney’s office declined to comment; NYPD declined to comment.

The two reported cases were similar. One woman at the Pig, where Batali is an investor, claimed that she woke up after a party with a “very deeply wounded leg” and semen on her skirt, while the other woman alleged that she blacked out after drinking at Babbo, and when she woke up, Batali was having sex with her. The chef denied the claims.

The women came forward following a December 2017 investigation on Batali’s alleged misconduct over his decades-long career, which included inappropriately touching staffers and other industry professionals. At the time, he stepped away from operations at his restaurant and was nixed from talk show the Chew. He’s also under criminal investigation in Boston.

Stay tuned for more.

• Mario Batali Off the Hook in NYC Sexual Assault Cases [TMZ]