Celebrity chef Mario Batali has been found not guilty by a US court of groping a woman at a bar.
Batali faced a trial at Boston Municipal Court this week on charges of indecent assault and battery, after a fan accused him of kissing and groping her as she tried to take a selfie in 2017.
The 61-year-old, who waived his right to a jury, was found not guilty on both charges by Judge James Stanton on Tuesday.
Batali’s accuser, Natali Tene, 32, had testified that Batali groped and forcibly kissed her while drunkenly posing for selfies at a bar near Boston’s Eataly, the Italian market and restaurant he part-owned at the time.
In announcing his verdict, the judge said he concluded that Tene had “significant credibility issues”.
Stanton said that while Batali “did not cover himself in glory on the night in question," the photos themselves created reasonable doubt that an assault had occurred because of the length of time Tene spent posing for them and the visible gaps between the two individuals.
In response, District Attorney Kevin Hayden said his office was “disappointed in the judge’s verdict”, and that it would not “waiver in our support for the victim in this case”.
The trial was the only criminal case brought against Batali, known for his presence on the Food Network, who has previously faced accusations of sexual misconduct from women.
Tene told the court she came forward only after a website detailed allegations in 2017 from four other women that Batali had touched them inappropriately.
“I want to be able to take control of what happened and come forward, say my piece, get the truth out there - and everybody be accountable for their actions," Tene testified.
But Batali’s lawyer, Anthony Fuller, claimed that the assault never occurred and alleged that Tene had lied to “cash in" through her pending civil lawsuit against the chef, which sought more than $50,000 (£40,540) in damages.
“She lied for fun and she lied for money," Fuller told the judge in closing arguments.
Soon after a website reported allegations against Batali in 2017, he cut ties with high-profile restaurants including New York’s Babbo and Del Posto that he partly owned.
He denied allegations of sexual assault but apologised for “deeply inappropriate" behavior.
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Batali and his business partner in July agreed to pay $600,000 (£486,378) to at least 20 former employees to resolve claims by New York’s attorney general that their Manhattan restaurants were rife with sexual harassment.
