- Mario Batali has waived his right to have a jury decide the outcome of his sexual misconduct trial.
- Instead, a judge will decide whether Batali, who is accused of forcibly kissing and groping a woman in 2017, is guilty.
- Batali pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent assault and battery in 2019.
Celebrity chef Mario Batali waived his right to have a jury decide the outcome of his sexual misconduct trial in Boston on Monday.
Instead, a judge will decide whether Batali, who is accused of forcibly kissing and groping a woman at a Boston restaurant in 2017, is guilty.
Batali, 61, pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent assault and battery in 2019.
He decided to have a judge decide the case's verdict as the trial opened on Monday when jury selection was slated to begin.
According to a criminal complaint seen by Boston Globe, Batali's accuser in the case told police that the high-profile chef touched and kissed her without her consent after she took a selfie with him at a Boylston Street eatery.
He could face up to two-and-a-half years in jail and be forced to register as a sex offender if he is convicted in the case.
Batali is one of a slew of celebrities and entertainers whose careers have been rocked by sexual misconduct allegations that stemmed from the #MeToo movement over the years.
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."
Last year, Batali and his former partner Joe Bastianich agreed to pay $600,000 to survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination at New York City restaurants owned by them as part of a settlement reached following an investigation by the New York attorney general's office.