A Sonoma County court has ordered former Windsor, California mayor Dominic Foppoli to pay $13 million in compensatory damages to seven women after finding him civilly liable for sexually assaulting them over roughly two decades. The Democrat, who has never faced criminal charges, denies any wrongdoing and is pursuing a mistrial, arguing that witness testimony was wrongly excluded, with an appeal planned should that fail. The case matters because it marks the culmination of allegations first made public in 2021 and delivers a significant civil judgment against a former elected official, though he continues to avoid criminal prosecution and could still face further punitive damages.

The seven-week trial concluded with a unanimous jury verdict, and Foppoli may be liable for additional punitive damages beyond the $13 million already awarded. The Santa Rosa chapter of the Active 20-30 Club, an all-male charity group Foppoli belonged to, was also found liable for one woman's assault and ordered to pay her a further $2 million, after she said the club ignored her warnings about his conduct. Foppoli separately faces an ongoing lawsuit from reality TV star Farrah Abraham, who has also accused him of sexual assault. His lawyer condemned the verdict as based on "junk science" and jury bias, while the plaintiffs' lawyers said their clients felt vindicated and were focused on healing.