Lawsuits

Batali May Face Further Legal Woes

Photo: Patrick McMullan

Last week when Grub Street broke news of a lawsuit against Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, lawyer Maimon Kirschenbaum told us the Babbo employees who brought the suit were, as far as he knew, not the Batali workers who were said to have brought a complaint to the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York. Now a spokesman for the ROC confirms to Crain’s that “its beef with Mr. Batali is separate from the lawsuit just filed, though she did not address the status of her group’s discussions with the chef.” Meanwhile, the timing couldn’t be worse for Joe Bastianich, who debuts as a judge on Masterchef tomorrow. A fluffy Daily News review says the shows is “American Idol for foodies.”

Mario Batali’s legal problems could mount [Crain’s]
Sob stories, bad auditions: Gordon Ramsay’s new ‘MasterChef’ is like ‘American Idol’ for foodies [NYDN]

Batali May Face Further Legal Woes