Litigation » Disgraced Chef Harassed Employees, Owner Didn’t Pay Them

Disgraced Chef Harassed Employees, Owner Didn’t Pay Them

May 16, 2018

Serving food in restaurant
A labor lawsuit against chef Mario Batali and restaurateur Joe Bastianich has been settled for $2.2 million. A former busser at a Bastianich restaurant filed the class action suit, alleging that from October 2015 to January 2017 he worked 55-hour weeks while only getting paid for 45-hour weeks. 1,300 dining-room employees are eligible for compensation as a result of the settlement, which has yet to be approved by the judge. Batali and the Bastianichs have a history of legal problems. In 2012, they settled a tip-skimming suit for $5.25 million. Lidia Bastianich was accused of keeping an indentured servant in a $5 million lawsuit filed in 2011. Batali resigned in December, after multiple allegations of sexual harassment became public, but he has recently talked about a comeback. Joe Bastianich’s behavior was described as “sleazy” by a former hostess at the well-known restaurant Del Posto, who asked for a reassignment so she wouldn’t cross paths with him. Enjoy!

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