Mario Batali says the photos of the accuser will prove his innocence



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Mario Batali asked Friday that photos and text messages on a woman's cell phone accusing her of having twisted and forcefully kissed her are being preserved as her lawyers say that these could help prove his innocence.

Batali, 58, pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and lashing for allegedly touching Natali Tene's chest, buttocks and groin before holding him on face while he was kissing her on the lips and in a bar in Boston in 2017. Tene was identified by her lawyer, Eric M. Baum, who represents her in a separate civil case against the famous starred chef .

Tene confided that she was with a friend at Towne Stove and the Spirits on Boylston Street since it closed, when she noticed the famous chef and took a selfie with him over his shoulder, according to a report incident that allegedly added Batali to have called and called him. , offering to take a selfie closely with her.

When she approached enough to take the picture, Batali first put her arm around her and grabbed her chest, then grabbed her buttocks and licked him. pulled closer, said the report of the incident. He then touched Tene's groin over his clothes and "held him in the face" by kissing him on the cheek and mouth.

"The victim realized that Batali was intoxicated by the smell and half-closed eyes," according to the report of the incident.

But Batali's lawyers said in court papers filed in the Boston Municipal Court that, even though Tene claims that the photos were groped, 11 photos and five live photos on his phone show no "indecent touch" .

They also stated that even though Tene had informed the detectives that she had sent a text message to two friends the night of the incident, she had not mentioned the alleged assault in these texts . Instead, she sent photos of her with Batali and made fun of her appearance. The Batali team thinks that following the texting will also reveal that Tene has never spoken to his friends about the incident.

Batali and its lawyers have requested that Tene's profiles, emails and social network profiles for cell phones be preserved "to prevent any inadvertent destruction, deletion or manipulation, or manipulation of information. extremely relevant and exculpatory in this case ".

The Suffolk County Attorney's Office, which is suing the case, did not immediately return a request for comment.

Baum, who represents Tene in his civil case, replied that the photos and texts "speak for themselves and show Mario Batali to touch her inappropriately and forcefully."

Baum told NBC News on Friday that Batali was refusing to testify in a civil case in order to invoke the Fifth Amendment and avoid any potentially self-incriminating criminalization during criminal proceedings.

In the incident report, Tene said that after Batali had harassed her, he had invited her to join him at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, but she had refused. Tene's separate civil suit alleges that the acts alleged against Batali were "dehumanizing" and "humiliating".

Tene was one of many alleged victims of Batali who came forward after four other women told Eater New York that Batali had poked them and made inappropriate comments of a sexual nature. His alleged behavior lasted more than two decades.

The chief, host of the TV show "The Chew" on ABC and investing in more than a dozen restaurants, said he would pull out of the "daily operations of my business" and have the result was returned from "The Chew". , "which was later canceled.

The food network also canceled plans to relaunch "Molto Mario", first aired in 1996 and giving Batali celebrity status. And in March, Batali was bought from his group of restaurants.

The New York Police Department opened a criminal investigation into Batali in 2018 but closed it early this year due to lack of evidence, NBC reported New York.

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