Mario Batali And Restaurant Group To Fork Out $600k To 20 Employees In Alleged Sexual Harassment Suit
BOSTON - NOVEMBER 29: Celebrity chef Mario Batali speaks with a reporter at Eataly in the Prudential Center in Boston on Nov. 29, 2016. The Italian food court and market is opening today in Boston. (Photo by Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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Mario Batali And Restaurant Group To Fork Out $600k To 20 Employees In Alleged Sexual Harassment Suit
The #MeToo movement has caught up with celebrity chefs Mario Batali and Joe Bastianichhave as they have been ordered to pay $600,000 to 20 employees who were reportedly sexually assaulted while working at their restaurants.
Per court documents obtained by the NY TIMES, New York State Attorney General Letitia James found that Batali, 60, Bastianich, 52, and their company B&B Hospitality Group violated human rights laws.
A conclusion of the investigation determined that at least 20 workers “witnessed or personally experienced unwanted sexual advances, inappropriate touching, and sexually explicit comments from managers and coworkers, and several female employees were forcibly groped, hugged, and/or kissed by male colleagues.”
Most of the incidents occurred at their Manhattan restaurants.
“Batali and Bastianich permitted an intolerable work environment and allowed shameful behavior that is inappropriate in any setting,” James said to The New York Times. “Celebrity and fame does not absolve someone from following the law.”
On top of the payouts, the chefs must modify their training manuals in regards to anti-sexual harassment and discrimination and submit reports to James’ office biannually.
“The past few years have truly been a transformative period,” Bastianich said in a statement to The New York Times. “Including the pandemic, there have been a lot of lessons learned over the past three and a half years, and it has given us an opportunity to redefine our business and the culture we want to foster within our restaurants, emerging as the company we want to be.”
BOSTON – NOVEMBER 18: Mario Batali tastes an oyster at the pre-opening press preview at Eataly in the Prudential Center in Boston on Nov. 18, 2016. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
