This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The New York police department is investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against the celebrity chef Mario Batali.

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The NYPD confirmed the investigation following a 60 Minutes broadcast on CBS on Sunday night in which the chef, who owns numerous restaurants, was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting an employee in 2005.

The unnamed woman said she was invited by Batali to a party at the Spotted Pig, a trendy restaurant in New York’s West Village owned by a friend of the chef.

CBS concealed her face with shaded lighting. The woman said she was afraid a revelation of her identity would hurt her job prospects in the industry.

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“Who wants to be defined by their worst day in their life?” she asked.



She said she remembered joining Batali for a glass of wine, then waking up on the floor feeling drugged and assaulted. She said she talked to the police but never filed a report.

Batali issued a statement to CBS in which he “vehemently” denied assaulting the woman.

Other restaurant workers told Cooper on the record that they witnessed Batali inappropriately touching other women.



Batali stepped down from daily operations at his restaurant empire and ABC cooking show The Chew in December, after four women accused him of inappropriate touching over a period of 20 years. He has apologized for those encounters.