A former Northern California mayor has been found civilly liable for sexually assaulting seven women, a jury verdict that orders him to pay $13 million in compensatory damages and sets the stage for a second phase of trial that could add punitive penalties.
Dominic Foppoli, who led the town of Windsor from late 2018 until his resignation in May 2021, was found liable Friday after a civil trial that began in July. The women's allegations span two decades, from 2001 to 2020, and the individual awards range from $6,000 to more than $4.6 million. The jury's finding does not carry criminal penalties, and Foppoli has never been criminally charged in connection with the allegations.
The lawsuit, filed in April 2022, detailed claims from seven women identified as Jane Does. Several said Foppoli drugged their drinks before assaulting them. Jane Doe 1 alleged he raped her dozens of times, including one incident in which she said he handcuffed her to a bed. Foppoli took the stand during the trial and denied the allegations, telling the court he had been a poor partner but had not committed the acts he was accused of.
In a related finding, the jury held the Santa Rosa chapter of Active 20-30, an all-male charitable and social club where Foppoli was a member, liable for the alleged assault of Jane Doe 4 and awarded her an additional $2 million. According to the lawsuit, that woman said Foppoli sexually assaulted her during the organization's national convention in Reno, Nevada, in June 2012, and she accused the group of failing to investigate complaints she made to its leaders.
The verdict follows years of public scrutiny that began when four women came forward to the San Francisco Chronicle in 2021 to accuse Foppoli of sexual assault. He stepped down as mayor shortly afterward. In total, 13 women have accused him of sexual assault or misconduct, according to the Chronicle. In 2024, the California attorney general's office suspended its criminal investigation into Foppoli, saying prosecutors did not have enough evidence to warrant charges on cases not barred by the statute of limitations at that time.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs framed the outcome as accountability after a long fight. Traci Carrillo, who represents the women, said the initial news coverage gave some of her clients a voice that local outlets had been unwilling to provide because the allegations targeted a powerful and connected politician. She said the case took more than five years to reach a courtroom and that the women were believed rather than shamed or silenced. «They feel vindicated and will now focus on the much-needed healing the jury has provided for them,» Carrillo said.
Foppoli's attorney, Andrew Watters, said he would seek a mistrial over claims that the court improperly excluded key defense witnesses, and that he would pursue an appeal if that effort fails. In a statement, Watters criticized the verdict as based on questionable self-reported evidence and what he called junk science, arguing that the jury appeared to have been inflamed by the evidence and made a large award to punish his client.
Speaking outside the courthouse Friday, Foppoli said his accusers were trying to punish him for something he did not do and suggested they were motivated by the $13 million payout. The punitive damages phase of the civil trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday.
Additional legal exposure remains. Foppoli faces a separate lawsuit from Farrah Abraham, a social media influencer and former reality television personality who claims he raped her in March 2021 at a house party in Florida. That civil case is expected to go to trial next year, according to court records. The Chronicle also reported that Christopher Creek Winery, which Foppoli owns, settled a separate lawsuit filed by a Montana woman who alleged he raped her multiple times in 2020 when she was 18.