Troubled pub, The Spotted Pig, closes
NEW YORK - The Spotted Pig, the Manhattan pub at the center of a widely publicized sexual harassment scandal, has closed.
In 2017, 11 women came forward claiming that their boss, owner Ken Friedman, sexually harassed them.
An investigation conducted by the New York State Attorney General’s office found that the restaurant maintained a hostile workplace where numerous female employees were subjected to severe and pervasive incidents of unwanted touching and unwelcomed sexual advances by Friedman.
On more than one occasion, Friedman forcibly kissed employees and pressured them to send him nude photos, according to the investigation.
The incidents sometimes happened in an upstairs VIP area infamously nicknamed the "rape room".
Celebrity chef Mario Batali was also accused of assaulting a woman in the room.
Earlier this month, New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced that Friedman agreed to settle the claims and step away from the West Village restaurant.
As part of the settlement, the 11 women were supposed to get $240,000 and a 20-percent share of the restaurant's profits for the next decade. It is unclear what will happen to that settlement in light of the closure.
The Spotted Pig, on W. 11th Street, opened in 2004 and won a Michelin star a year after opening.