$600,000 Sexual Harassment Settlement Reached in Batali & Bastianich Case

An investigation by the New York State attorney general describes a culture of widespread sexual harassment and retaliation at the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group.

An investigation into the once-towering Manhattan restaurant business built by the chef Mario Batali and his former partner Joe Bastianich revealed a sexualized culture so rife with harassment and retaliation that it violated state and city human rights laws, the New York State attorney general, Letitia James, announced on Friday. As part of a settlement brokered by Ms. James’s office, the two men and Pasta Resources, the company formerly known as the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, will pay $600,000 to at least 20 women and men who were sexually harassed while they worked at the Manhattan restaurants Babbo, Lupa or Del Posto, which until it closed permanently in April was the crown jewel among the men’s holdings. The investigation detailed formally what former employees had discussed on social media and in interviews: The men created a misogynistic culture where women regularly endured sexual comments, groping and kisses against their will. One manager told servers to get breast implants or make other changes in their appearance, the attorney general said. Male colleagues would tell women to get on their knees or discuss the attributes of their mouths.