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Ken Friedman — the owner of New York City's Spotted Pig restaurant, who became embroiled in controversy amid sexual misconduct accusations and allegations of a third-floor “rape room” — has reached an agreement with the state to pay more than $240,000 as part of a settlement to nearly a dozen former employees.
Friedman also announced Tuesday that he would be relinquishing his “role in management and operations” of the former celebrity hot-spot.
Restaurateur Ken Friedman, seen here with a guest at a 2017 film premiere, has agreed to pay $240,000 as well as a share of future restaurant profits to 11 of his former employees. (Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP)
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Details of the settlement were made public by New York Attorney General Letitia James at a news conference on Tuesday.
“No matter how high-profile the establishment, or how seemingly powerful the owners, today’s settlement reiterates the fact that we will not tolerate sexual harassment of any form in the workplace,” said James, the New York Times reported.
In addition to the $240,000, which is to be paid to 11 former employees who filed complaints of misconduct, Friedman also agreed to fork over 20 percent of the restaurant’s profits for the next decade to those same employees. He would also have to give over 20 percent if he sells the restaurant, of which he currently owns around 75 percent, the Times reported.
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Allegations against the management of the Spotted Pig first came to light Dec. 17, with several employees accusing Friedman of sexual misconduct in a bombshell report from the Times.
Servers say Friedman would entertain late-night VIP guests in the third-floor dining area, which employees had dubbed “the rape room,” due to the anything-goes atmosphere Friedman encouraged. Friends and investors in the restaurant, including Mario Batali, were accused of inappropriate behavior while in the third-floor dining area, with one employee claiming the workers had dubbed Batali “the Red Menace” because of his inappropriate behavior.
“He tried to touch my breasts and told me that they were beautiful. He wanted to wrestle. As I was serving drinks to his table, he told me I should sit on his friend’s face,” one former server told the Times of Batali in Dec. 2017.
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Friedman issued an apology that same month, as did his former business partner April Bloomfield, with whom he opened the Spotted Pig in 2004.
On Tuesday, Friedman again apologized for “the harm” he has caused, “and for being part of an environment where women were afraid to speak up.”
“I will spend the rest of my life regretting my actions, and trying to be someone worthy of the respect and love of my family,” he said, per a full statement obtained by Eater.
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He also confirmed that he will be “stepping away” from the operations of the restaurant.
“My time at the Spotted Pig is over, but the learning process is not, and I will continue to experience the consequences of my actions. Leaving the restaurant I built 16 years ago is just one of those many consequences.”
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