Spotted Pig Investigated For Sexual Harassment By State

WEST VILLAGE, NY — The state attorney general is investigating allegations of sexual harassment and workplace discrimination at the Spotted Pig — the West Village eatery owned by restaurateur Ken Friedman and funded by disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali, first reported by the New York Times.

New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood issued a subpoena to the Spotted Pig’s holding company and its majority owner, Friedman, for records of both Friedman and Batali as part of a civil rights investigation into the embattled restaurant, the Times reported.

“The law is clear: New Yorkers are entitled to workplaces free of sexual harassment, discrimination, and intimidation,” Underwood said in a statement. “Our office will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect New Yorkers – and if there’s culture of harassment and discrimination at a New York company, we want to know about it.”

The subpoena also seeks records of sexually suggestive communication between Friedman and staffers, and video footage of Batali with female employees in the restaurant's third-floor party room that a Times investigation described as the “rape room.” Underwood's office also hopes to obtain complaint records related to sexual harassment or discrimination based on employee's gender or pregnancy, the newspaper reported.

In December, Friedman was accused of sexually harassing staffers including groping, requesting nude photos, trying to kiss employees and creating an atmosphere where workers felt they had to endure inappropriate sexual advances from management and guests alike.

The chorus of allegations came just a day after Batali distanced himself from his restaurant empire over allegations of misconduct.

The facade of the Spotted Pig at 314 West 11th Street. (Photo courtesy of Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)