A former Democratic mayor from a small town in northern California has been found civilly liable for allegedly sexually assaulting seven women, according to a ruling made on Friday.
Dominic Foppoli, who served as mayor of Windsor from late 2018 until 2021, has been ordered to pay a total of $13 million in compensatory damages to the victims. The compensations, which will be distributed among the women, could range from about $6,000 to nearly $4.7 million each, as reported.
There remains the possibility of punitive damages being awarded, with that phase of the trial set to commence on Tuesday.
Foppoli has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing and has not been criminally prosecuted over these allegations. He resigned from his position as mayor in May 2021, shortly after four women publicly accused him of sexual assault in a piece by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The lawsuit, initiated in April 2022, referenced accounts from seven unnamed women. Some claimed that Foppoli had drugged their beverages prior to the assaults, while one woman alleged that he raped her multiple times, describing an incident where she was handcuffed to a bed.
Notably, a total of 13 women have reportedly accused Foppoli of sexual misconduct or assault, according to another source.
Previously, in 2024, the state attorney general’s office had to halt its criminal inquiry into Foppoli, citing insufficient evidence to support charges in cases not yet barred by the statute of limitations.
During the civil trial, which commenced in July, Foppoli again denied all allegations, stating, “I’ve been a terrible boyfriend and partner, cheating, selfish and egotistical, but I’ve never done any of those things I’m being sued for.”
The jury also found the Santa Rosa branch of Active 20-30, a male charitable organization of which Foppoli was a member, responsible for the alleged assault on one victim, awarding her an additional $2 million.
In one of the claims, a woman accused Foppoli of assaulting her during the Active 20-30 convention in Reno, Nevada, back in June 2012, and noted that the organization failed to adequately investigate her complaints.
Traci Carrillo, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, commented that a previous article from the San Francisco Chronicle granted many clients a voice that local outlets hesitated to cover due to the sensitive nature involving a prominent politician accused of serious crimes. Carrillo emphasized the lengthy struggle for justice for these women and how they felt validated in court.
Foppoli’s attorney, Andrew Watters, indicated plans to seek a mistrial on grounds that key defense witnesses were improperly excluded from the proceedings. Should that effort be unsuccessful, an appeal will be pursued.
After the verdict, Foppoli claimed that his accusers were trying to penalize him unjustly, ostensibly motivated by the large payout associated with the case.
He still faces a separate lawsuit filed by Farrah Abraham, a social media influencer, who accused him of raping her in March 2021 during a house party in Florida. This upcoming civil case is likely to head to trial next year. Additionally, there was a report indicating that a winery owned by Foppoli had settled another lawsuit with a woman from Montana who alleged she was raped multiple times by him in 2020, when she was just 18 years old.
