By Nate Raymond

BOSTON (Reuters) – A lawyer for Mario Batali urged a decide on Tuesday to acquit the movie star chef of a cost that he sexually assaulted a girl whereas posing along with her for “selfie” images in 2017 at a Boston bar, accusing her of fabricating the incident.

Protection lawyer Anthony Fuller and Assistant District Legal professional Nina Bonelli delivered closing arguments to Decide James Stanton on the second day of the non-jury trial in Boston Municipal Court docket. It’s the solely legal case Batali, 61, has confronted over #MeToo-era allegations made by a number of girls that he engaged in sexual misconduct.

Natali Tene, 32, testified that Batali groped her breasts, buttocks and crotch space and forcibly kissed her whereas drunkenly posing for fan selfies along with her at a bar in April 2017 close to Boston’s Eataly, the Italian market and restaurant he on the time half owned.

Fuller argued that the assault by no means occurred and that Tene had a monetary incentive to lie due to a pending civil lawsuit she has filed towards Batali in search of greater than $50,000 in damages.

The protection lawyer mentioned Tene was making an attempt to “money in” on her encounter with Batali regardless of an absence of different witnesses on the bar and photographs that not solely didn’t depict an assault however did present Tene not even flinching in the course of the alleged groping.

“She lied for enjoyable and he or she lied for cash,” Fuller advised the decide. “That is what the proof reveals.”

Prosecutor Bonelli countered that case was by no means about cash and that Tene determined to return ahead after the web site Eater.com in December 2017 detailed allegations by 4 girls who additionally mentioned Batali had touched them inappropriately over a minimum of twenty years.

“Ms. Tene realized she wasn’t alone,” Bonelli advised the decide. “Ms. Tene could not be silent anymore, and he or she spoke up. And that was and is her motive.”

The case can be determined by Stanton after Batali on Monday waived his proper to a jury trial.

Batali, as soon as a fixture of Meals Community and a star of the ABC cooking and discuss present “The Chew,” faces 2-1/2 years in jail and jail and having to register as a intercourse offender if convicted.