FILE – In this May 24, 2019 file photo, chef Mario Batali departs after pleading not guilty, at municipal court in Boston, to an allegation that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman at a Boston restaurant in 2017. A hearing is scheduled, Friday, Aug. 30, 2019 in the indecent assault and battery case against Mario Batali. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds, File)
BOSTON (AP) — A hearing on the indecent assault and battery case against celebrity chef Mario Batali is scheduled.
A judge is slated to hear arguments Wednesday from lawyers at a pre-trial hearing in Boston Municipal Court. It’s not immediately clear what issues will be addressed.
Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ office and lawyers for Batali didn’t respond to emails seeking comment Tuesday.
A hearing was also held last week in the case. Batali didn’t attend and wasn’t expected to attend Wednesday.
Batali pleaded not guilty in May to forcibly kissing and groping a woman at a Boston restaurant in 2017. His career crumbled in the wake of that and other accusations of sexual misconduct.
Batali’s lawyer has said the Boston charge is “without merit.”
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