CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports:

Mario Batali has been cleared of charges that he groped a woman at a Boston bar in 2017, as a judge ruled on Tuesday that the celebrity chef is not guilty of indecent battery and assault.

Batali — the famed TV chef and restauranteur who fell from grace in 2017 following a series of sexual misconduct allegations — was on criminal trial this week in Boston with a woman who accused him of forcible kissing and groping. Batali was facing two and a half years in prison, if found guilty.

The quick trial spanned two days. Batali waived his right to a trial by jury, and he did not take the stand. Boston Municipal Court Judge James Stanton found Batali not guilty, citing credibility issues with the accuser, Natali Tene.

Read the full article.

Celebrity Chef Mario Batali Found Not Guilty in Sexual Assault Trial https://t.co/81GMnGzFsi

— Variety (@Variety) May 10, 2022