Accuser testifies in Mario Batali sexual misconduct trial

Mario Batali's sexual misconduct trial opened Monday in a Boston court with his accuser recounting how she'd been "shocked, surprised and alarmed" as the celebrity chef aggressively kissed and groped her while taking selfies at a restaurant in 2017.The 32-year-old Boston-area software company worker said she felt confused and powerless to do anything to stop Batali as he grabbed her "in a way that I have never been touched before.""It was all happening so quickly and it was happening essentially the whole time," the woman testified in Boston Municipal Court. He honed in on the woman recently admitting to charges of violating a judge's instructions while serving on the jury in an unrelated criminal trial in 2018.The woman, who had claimed she was clairvoyant in a jury selection questionnaire, maintained in court Monday she can predict major events before they happen "to a certain extent."Monday's trial opened after Batali — in a surprise move — waived his right to a jury trial and opted instead to have a judge decide his fate.Batali, who pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and battery in 2019, could face up to 2 1/2 years in jail and be required to register as a sex offender if convicted.Batali is among a number of high-profile men who have faced a public reckoning during the #MeToo social movement against sexual abuse and harassment in recent years.The 61-year-old was once a Food Network fixture on shows like "Molto Mario" and "Iron Chef America." But the ponytail-and-orange Croc-wearing personality's high-flying career crumbled amid sexual misconduct allegations.Four women accused him of inappropriate touching in 2017, after which he stepped down from day-to-day operations at his restaurant empire and left the since-discontinued ABC cooking show "The Chew."Batali has offered an apology, acknowledging the allegations "match up" with ways he has acted."I have made many mistakes and I am so very sorry that I have disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team," he said in an email newsletter at the time.