Mario Batali, a disgraced celebrity chef, listened attentively Monday as a young lady testified that he had assaulted her in a Boston bar in 2017.
Natali Tene was the accuser. Her face was not revealed in court. However, her identity is known as a 32 year-old consultant who made the accusations during the height #MeToo movement.
“While this was happening, his hands were in sensitive areas, touching me, touching my body,”Tene said.
Batali hosted the ABC daytime program, which was canceled. “The Chew.”
He was present as the assistant District Attorney played a slideshow with 10 selfies Batali and the accuser took on the night of the incident.
“Mario Batali is grabbing my face, kissing me on the side of the face. His other hand that can’t be seen is touching my body in sensitive areas,”Tene said.
The testimony was graphic.
“His right hand is all over my breast, all over my rear end, in between my legs, grabbing me in a way that — I’ve never been touched before like that, like squeezing in between my legs. It was just a lot,”Tene said.
Batali has pleaded no guilty.
