Celebrity chefs Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich and their New York City restaurant company have agreed to pay $600,000 to at least 20 former employees who were sexually harassed and retaliated against on the job.
The settlement follows a four-year investigation by the attorney general's office that"found that B&B, Batali, and Bastianich had engaged in unlawful sex discrimination and retaliation, in violation of state and city human rights laws" at their restaurants Babbo, Lupa and the now-closed Del Posto, according to the agreement filed with the court.
"Batali and Bastianich permitted an intolerable work environment and allowed shameful behavior that is inappropriate in any setting," James said."I thank the men and women who reported this abhorrent behavior for their bravery, selflessness, and commitment to accountability.""Several female employees were forcibly groped, hugged, and/or kissed by male colleagues," the attorney general's office found, according to a press release.
“When my female coworkers and I were being sexually harassed by multiple people at Del Posto, the restaurant’s leadership made us feel as if we were asking for it — as if it is a rite of passage to be harassed at work,” Juliana Imperati, a former line cook at Del Posto, said in a statement in response to the settlement agreement.
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