{"id":462503,"date":"2026-09-13T11:54:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T11:54:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/462503\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T11:54:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T11:54:24","slug":"former-california-dem-mayor-ordered-to-pay-13m-to-7-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/462503\/","title":{"rendered":"Former California Dem mayor ordered to pay $13M to 7 women"},"content":{"rendered":"

A former California mayor was hit with a roughly $13 million verdict after a jury found him liable for sexually assaulting seven women \u2014 while he still faces another sexual assault lawsuit<\/a> by a famous realty TV star.<\/p>\n

A jury this week found Dominic Foppoli, the former mayor of Windsor in Sonoma County, liable for the sexual assault<\/a> of seven anonymous women in a civil trial. More payments could be imposed, as a hearing is set for Tuesday to determine punitive damages.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a huge victory for a lot of people, starting with the Jane Does,\u201d said plaintiffs\u2019 attorney<\/a> Gina Fortino Dickson.<\/p>\n

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Dominic Foppoli exits the Sonoma County Civil and Family Law Courthouse in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. The jury failed to reach a verdict in the first day of deliberations in the trial held against him. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Dominic Foppoli exits the Sonoma County Civil and Family Law Courthouse in Santa Rosa, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Foppoli, 44, was accused by multiple women of sexual assaults, many involving alcohol, in a 2021 expose by the San Francisco Chronicle<\/a>. The assaults alleged in the lawsuit spanned nearly two decades from 2001 to 2020, the women said.<\/p>\n

A former campaign volunteer, who was 18, accused the Democratic politician of assaulting her twice, including one night after a boozy New Year\u2019s Eve celebration.<\/p>\n

Another accuser claimed that Foppoli brought her to his home and tried pull her pants off. He also allegedly forced another woman to perform oral sex after a convention, and in a separate incident, a winery intern in her twenties alleged she was forcibly groped and kissed.<\/p>\n

Foppoli has denied any wrongdoing and his attorney said he will seek a mistrial over the exclusion of a defense witness, the Daily Mail reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dominic Foppoli appears in court. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Attorney Traci L. Carrillo celebrates after her clients were awarded $13 million. Perry Law<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a trial about seven self-reported accounts of by the plaintiffs. And like I said in the closing, we\u2019re not saying they all lied about things they testified about. It\u2019s possible to be sincere and mistaken or have a distorted view,\u201d said defense attorney Andrew Watters, according to ABC7.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just know in heart that I did not assault any of these people who were in court today and it\u2019s unfortunate that the jury didn\u2019t see that,\u201d Foppoli said Friday.<\/p>\n

The Santa Rosa chapter of the Active 20-30 Club, an all-male charity social club of which Foppoli was a member, was also found liable and was ordered to pay $2 million to one of the women.<\/p>\n

Foppoli has never been charged with a crime related to the allegations, a potential reason why the women proceeded with civil litigation instead. Criminal investigations were opened, but investigators said they lacked sufficient evidence<\/a> to move forward.<\/p>\n

The former mayor is still facing a separate civil lawsuit filed by reality TV star Farrah Abraham, MEGA<\/p>\n

Foppoli resigned as mayor in May 2021, weeks after the allegations first surfaced. Last year, he considered<\/a> a political comeback for his old job.<\/p>\n

The former mayor is still facing a separate civil lawsuit filed by reality TV star Farrah Abraham, who starred in the MTV reality television series \u201c16 and Pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n

In April 2021, Abraham filed a report with the Palm Beach Police Department alleging Foppoli drugged and raped her in Florida the previous month. Abraham said she had been to a wine tasting event with Foppoli and had no memory of what happened afterward, but she allegedly provided police with photos and videos of the encounter.<\/p>\n

The former mayor has disrupted her claims, and her civil case is expected to go to trial early next year.<\/p>\n

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