Disgraced restauranteur Ken Friedman is stepping away from gastropub The Spotted Pig — and its alleged “rape room” — after settling a dozen sex harassment claims from former staff, officials said Tuesday.
An 18-month investigation by the New York Attorney General’s Office found Friedman subjected 11 female staffers to “severe and pervasive” sexual harassment over a decade — forcibly kissing them and pressuring them to send him nude pics — while also allowing his celebrity pals to molest them.
Under a settlement announced Tuesday, the creep agreed to pay the accusers $240,000 and fork over to them 20% of all profits from his shares in The Spotted Pig for the next decade.
In a statement to ny.eater.com, Friedman said he didn’t agree with all of the allegations against him but was cutting all ties to the former celeb hot spot he opened in 2004.
“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.
Harrowing allegations first emerged in the wake of the #MeToo era in 2017 when accusers described a “rape room” on the third floor where Friedman and his buddy, celebrity chef Mario Batali, would allegedly throw drug-fueled parties, prey on women and engage in public sex.
As part of the settlement, Friedman will relinquish his managerial and operational control in the eatery and will have no supervisory authority over any employees.
He retains his 80% stake in the restaurant, however.
It’s unclear how much that is worth in the wake of the allegations.
A 2018 New York magazine report alleged the pigsty was “hemorrhaging” cash and said Friedman was still drawing a manager’s salary despite rarely being seen at the eatery.
Batali, who has pleaded not guilty in a Boston indecent-assault trial, will also be banned from any role in the restaurant where he was once an investor.
One stunned Spotted Pig diner told The Post on Tuesday she had no idea about the gastropub’s filthy history until her husband over the phone during lunch told her about the settlement.
“We had no idea, otherwise we wouldn’t have come here,” said the woman, declining to give her name. “It’s disturbing.”