Natalie Tene is an assault victim of celebrity chef Mario Batali as she came up front to narrate the incident that happened on April 1, 2017.
The long-awaited trial of celebrity chef Mario Batali on sexual misconduct and Grooming allegations begins Monday in Boston.
In 2019, Batali pleaded not guilty to allegations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman after taking photos with her at a Boston restaurant in 2017.
Batali allegedly noticed Natalie photographing him and invited her to take a photo with him, then repeatedly kissed and touched her without her consent.
Victim: Who Is Natalie Tene Boston?
Natalie Tene is a 32-year-old woman from Massachusetts who accused celebrity chef Mario Batali of sexual misconduct. The trail reopens after COVID.
Mario is accused of kissing and groping a Natalie while attempting to take a selfie at a Boston restaurant.
She testified Monday that she felt confused and powerless to stop the celebrity chef.
He appeared drunk, slurring his words and closing his eyes as they took multiple photos together at his request.
The trial began on Monday after Batali, in an unexpected move, waived his right to a jury trial in favor of a judge deciding his fate.
Tene also testified that the 2017 incident embarrassed her until she heard from other women who had had similar encounters with Batali.
Natalie admitted that some of the photos had a three-minute gap between them.
However, she insisted that the entire encounter had taken her by surprise and that in one of the photos of the two close together, Batali was “grabbing my ass in this photo.”
Chef Mario Batali Is Charged For Sexual Misconduct With A Younger Woman.
Chef Mario Batali is charged doe sexual misconduct with a younger woman, 32 years old, Natalie Tene. Presently Batali is 61 years old.
According to thedailybeast.com, Tene told the judge that the alleged incident started when Batali saw her taking his picture and invited her to join him.
She also claimed that Batali’s eyes were closed in most of the photos and that “this guy was wasted” at the time.
“It was like a selfie, but other things were happening simultaneously,” Tene told the court, adding that Batali kept telling her to “take another one.”
Tene went on to say that Batali was “grabbing me in a way…. I have never been touched like that before,” implying that he was “squeezing” her vagina.
Despite at least four women coming forward to accuse the former TV chef of sexual misconduct, Batali has maintained his innocence.
Defense attorney Anthony Fuller grilled Tene during cross-examination about whether she continued to take photos with Batali despite the alleged assault.