Former Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli liable for sexual assault, jury rules

Dominic Foppoli, the former Windsor mayor and a once-rising star in Sonoma County politics, was found liable and ordered by a jury Friday, Sept. 11, to pay more than $13 millionin damages to seven women who sued him over claims that he sexually assaulted each of them in a series of encounters going back to 2001.

The jury announced its decision in Judge Dana Simonds’ courtroom, concluding a nearly eight-week trial centering around allegations of Foppoli’s predatory behavior spanning two decades. The damages awarded Friday are for what’s known as real damages. Punitive damages, if any, will be decided at a later date.

Foppoli, 46, who has maintained his innocence since allegations surfaced in 2021, never faced criminal charges related to the accusations. The verdict formally legitimizes claims that rocked the town of Windsor and other parts of Sonoma County, given Foppoli’s involvement in area politics and the North Bay wine industry as an owner of Christopher Creek Winery in Healdsburg.

It took about 30 hours for the jury of six men and six women to reach their decision after hearing testimony from dozens of witnesses, including Foppoli, seven Jane Does, three other women with sexual assault claims, experts on damages, and a number of the defendant and plaintiffs’ friends, relatives and colleagues.

Jurors also ruled for the plaintiffs regarding negligence and defamation allegations made by two of the plaintiffs. The negligence claim related to a belief that a local nonprofit, Santa Rosa Active 20-30 #50, took no action after one plaintiff disclosed she was assaulted during a 2012 convention. The defamation claim was filed in response to statements Foppoli made against another plaintiff — a former colleague on the Windsor Town Council — in 2021 after she publicly demanded he resign as mayor.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

What to know about the trial

Sexual assault allegations became public in April 2021 after the San Francisco Chronicle published claims by four of the plaintiffs. By the end of May 2021, sexual assault claims were made by 13 women.

Almost overnight, the public perception of Foppoli changed from an ambitious politician applauded for supporting his community during the 2019 Kincaid Fire to an arrogant upstart who bucked rules and preyed upon women.

Foppoli denied all allegations but was pressured into resigning as mayor. The California Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation but concluded in March 2024 there was insufficient evidence to file criminal charges in the matter.

The seven plaintiffs filed their lawsuit in April 2022 and the jury trial began July 15. Christopher Creek Winery and the Active 20-30 national organization were included as defendants before reaching settlements shortly before the trial began.

In addition to the assault claims, testimony during the trial focused on Foppoli’s inner circle, behavior within the local Active 20-30 chapter and an individual who played a pivotal role in denouncing the plaintiff who demanded Foppoli’s resignation.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs stressed Foppoli developed a reputation for sexist behavior and his peers joked about it rather than take measures to bring it to an end. His attorney downplayed the behavior as locker room talk and proclaimed skepticism over seven women all coming forward around the same time in 2021.

Testifying in his defense, Foppoli dismissed each sexual assault claim and contended the encounters were consensual or never happened at all. He maintained the allegations impacted his family and that he — and not the plaintiffs — were the true victims.

In countering Foppoli’s claim of innocence, the plaintiffs’ attorneys stressed that none of them knew each other prior to April 2021. They explained gaslighting, social stigmas, and fear of retribution and retaliation prevented them from coming forward sooner.

What to know about the allegations

Jane Doe 1 claims Foppoli assaulted her in 2002 when they were in their late teens and dating. The bulk of her case was handled behind closed doors but arguments and testimony toward the end of the trial showed Doe 1’s case included a claim that Foppoli sexually assaulted her with fruits and vegetables while she was blindfolded and handcuffed to a bed on Valentine’s Day 2002.

Jane Doe 2 said she was 18 when she briefly dated Foppoli after he asked her to assist his state Assembly campaign in 2003. She said she was first assaulted in his home and again weeks later in December 2003 while she was intoxicated from drinking on an empty stomach during a New Year’s Eve celebration at a friend’s home. This assault occurred even though she told him to stop, she said.

Jane Doe 3 said she and Foppoli shared a cab ride one night in 2006 and she expected to be dropped off at her home in northern Santa Rosa, only to end up at his place in Windsor. She stayed over, but Foppoli, without her consent, got in bed with her and tried to put his hand down her pants, leading her to lock herself in the bathroom, where she called a friend to pick her up, she testified.

Jane Doe 4 said she and Foppoli met while both were associated with chapters of Active 20-30, a national nonprofit dedicated to youth charity and volunteering. They were in Reno for an annual convention in 2012 when she was assaulted in a hotel bathroom while intoxicated and without the ability the consent, she said. She disclosed her claim in 2013 to the Santa Rosa chapter president and another local representative of the organization, but the complaint was never investigated, she said. This led to Santa Rosa Active 20-30 #50 being named as a co-defendant on allegations of neglect.

Jane Doe 5 was a local business owner who attended a social gathering with Foppoli in June 2016, she said. When the crowd moved to Christopher Creek Winery, she said, Foppoli ripped off her bikini top and pulled her into his lap while they sat in a hot tub with others. Afterward, Doe 5 said, he placed her friend’s hand on his penis before following the woman to a shower and trying to get in with her.

Jane Doe 6 was a winery intern from France, she said, when she was assaulted after becoming drunk during a harvest celebration at Christopher Creek Winery. She and a male witness both testified they were sickened after drinking from the same glass of wine — before the alleged assault, which happened at a home away from the winery after she and Foppoli went for a drive.

Jane Doe 7 said Foppoli sexually assaulted her in 2020 while they both sat on the Windsor Town Council. In February of that year, she said, they were leaving a crab feed when Foppoli and another individual dropped her off at her home. While inside, Foppoli is accused of assaulting her. She alleged Foppoli later filmed her being assaulted by another person at Christopher Creek in August 2020 and used the footage to blackmail her into ending her local political career.

Other key details from trial

Santa Rosa Vice Mayor Jeff Okrepkie testified he was present that night in August and Foppoli showed him the footage before making a cryptic comment about Doe 7 never running against him again.

Like other local politicians in April 2021, Doe 7 called for Foppoli’s resignation from the town council. In turn, Foppoli accused her of assaulting him and arguments throughout the trial focused on a controversial effort to discredit Doe 7.

Much of this discussion focused on Robert Stryk, previously described by The Press Democrat as a Washington, D.C.-based political operative with ties to Northern California, the wine industry and the administration of President Donald Trump. Testimony showed he was a key player handling damage control for Foppoli and used extreme measures like making critical statements about Doe 7 to the media.

While on the stand, Foppoli maintained he had only gone to Stryk for advice and never gave him permission to make his statements.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys balked at that claim. On multiple occasions, the attorneys stressed Foppoli never disapproved of controversial statements Stryk made in private and public. Of note was a May 2021 interview with KSRO, in which Stryk unleashed a stream of insults and allegations against Doe 7. In private messages to Foppoli, which were presented in court, Stryk at one point said “Time for scorched earth” in regards to addressing Doe 7.

Text conversations showed Foppoli thanked Stryk for looking out for him.

In highlighting Foppoli’s behavior and support system, attorneys for the plaintiffs also put attention on Active 20-30 and a number of members identified as Foppoli’s friends. Past text and social media conversations between club members showed Foppoli was frequently the subject of derogatory jokes, most notably that his family’s property in Italy was a “rape castle.”

Also referenced throughout the trial was a comment Foppoli said more than a decade ago to Okrepkie: “You don’t need roofies if you give them enough wine.”

Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued tasteless statements among members and in the organization’s newsletter reflected a culture that only enabled Foppoli’s behavior. During the trial, they also highlighted Active 20-30 had no formal policy for handling reports of sexual assault.

Active 20-30 representatives, meanwhile, highlighted the organization’s contributions to the community and disputed there was any attempts to protect Foppoli.

You can reach staff writers Colin Atagi at [email protected]; Phil Barber at [email protected]; Isabel Beer at [email protected]; and Austin Murphy at [email protected].