Ex-Dem Mayor Ordered to Pay $13M Over 7 Sexual Assault Claims

Dominic Foppoli, the former Democratic mayor of Windsor, California, was found civilly liable Friday for the alleged sexual assaults of seven women.

Foppoli, who served as mayor of the Northern California town from late 2018 until 2021, was ordered to pay the women a combined $13 million in compensatory damages. Individual awards range from $6,000 to $4,650,938 for allegations dating from 2001 through 2020.

The jury could also award punitive damages. That portion of the civil trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday, KTVU FOX 2 reported.

Foppoli has repeatedly denied the accusations and has not faced criminal charges related to them. He resigned as mayor in May 2021, shortly after four women spoke with the San Francisco Chronicle and accused him of sexual assault.

The civil lawsuit, filed in April 2022, involved claims brought by seven women identified as Jane Does. Some said Foppoli put drugs in their drinks before assaulting them. Jane Doe 1 alleged that he raped her dozens of times, including one episode in which she said he restrained her to a bed with handcuffs.

The San Francisco Chronicle has reported that 13 women in total have accused Foppoli of sexual assault or other misconduct.

The California attorney general’s office ended its criminal investigation in 2024, explaining that prosecutors did not believe they had sufficient evidence to bring charges in the cases that remained eligible under the statute of limitations.

Foppoli took the witness stand during the civil trial, which began in July, and continued to reject the allegations.

“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,” Foppoli testified, according to KGO Eyewitness News.

Jurors also held the Santa Rosa chapter of Active 20-30, an all-male charitable social organization where Foppoli was a member, responsible for the alleged assault of Jane Doe 4. The group was ordered to pay her an additional $2 million, according to the Chronicle.

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, hailed the verdict as the “ultimate validation” for the women, saying they had to overcome “their trauma, their shame, their own guilt” to obtain justice.

Foppoli’s attorney, Andrew Watters, said in a statement to News Outlet that he would seek a mistrial over claims that the court improperly excluded key witnesses for the defense. If that fails, Watters said he would pursue an appeal.

“What happened with the verdict was that the jury sent a message based on questionable self-reported evidence and junk science, and that’s not appropriate.  It appears the passions of the jury were inflamed by the evidence and they hated my client, so they made a very large award to punish and make an example of him,” Watters said in a statement.

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.

The Chronicle reported that Christopher Creek Winery, which Foppoli owns, settled a separate lawsuit filed by a Montana woman who alleged Foppoli raped her multiple times in 2020 when she was 18.