A Sonoma County jury on Friday delivered a unanimous civil verdict against former Windsor, California, Mayor Dominic Foppoli, finding him liable for sexually assaulting seven women and ordering him to pay more than $13 million in compensatory damages.
According to Fox News, the awards ranged from roughly $6,000 to $4.65 million per plaintiff. Jane Doe 7 received about $4.65 million. Jane Doe 1 received about $3.8 million.
The jury also found the Santa Rosa chapter of the all-male Active 20-30 Club liable in one of the cases and ordered an additional $2 million.
Punitive damages have not been decided. That phase was set to begin this week after jurors found clear and convincing evidence that Foppoli acted with oppression, fraud, or malice.
Foppoli, 44, has never been criminally charged. That is the part California’s political class would prefer you not dwell on.
The allegations first exploded in April 2021, when the San Francisco Chronicle published accounts from four women. By the end of that spring, 13 women had accused the Wine Country politician of sexual assault or misconduct spanning nearly two decades. Foppoli resigned as mayor in May 2021.
Seven of those women filed a joint civil lawsuit in 2022. The trial that just ended ran about eight weeks.
In 2024, Democrat Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office suspended the criminal investigation. A spokesperson said prosecutors did not have “enough evidence to warrant filing charges on the cases not barred by the statute of limitations,” while claiming the matter remained open.
No charges. No trial. No criminal accountability.
A civil jury needed only a lower burden of proof. Twelve jurors sided with every plaintiff.
Foppoli’s lawyer, Andrew Watters, said the defense was “extremely disappointed,” plans to seek a mistrial, and will evaluate an appeal. Foppoli has denied the allegations from the beginning. After the verdict he maintained he did not assault the women who sued him.
According to Fox News, he has also said he was “a terrible boyfriend and partner, cheating, selfish and egotistical,” but insisted he did not commit the acts alleged in court.
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According to the lawsuit, the woman alleged Foppoli sexually assaulted her during the national Active 20-30 convention in Reno, Nevada, in June 2012. She also accused the organization of failing to investigate complaints she made to its leaders.
Traci Carrillo, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told Fox News Digital that the initial San Francisco Chronicle story “gave some of our clients a voice that no local news agency wanted to touch because it accused a powerful and connected local politician of crimes and sexual misconduct.”
“It took over 5 years to get them justice, which was always about accountability. Their trauma was real, and they were believed, not shamed or silenced in the courtroom,” Carrillo added. “They feel vindicated and will now focus on the much-needed healing the jury has provided for them.”
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Foppoli, speaking at a press conference outside the courthouse Friday, said his accusers “are trying to crucify me for a cause I’m not responsible for,” adding that they were motivated by the $13 million payout.
Foppoli still faces a separate lawsuit from Farrah Abraham, a social media influencer and former reality television personality who claims the ex-politician 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.
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