Nearly five years after the first allegations surfaced, seven women are poised to put former Windsor mayor Dominic Foppoli on trial in Sonoma County Superior Court, with jury selection expected in early July and the case projected to last about six weeks. The lawsuit, filed in April 2022, accuses Foppoli of multiple sexual assaults over roughly two decades. Foppoli, 44, who stepped down as Windsor mayor in 2021, has denied any wrongdoing through his attorney.
Pretrial motions were scheduled to start today, with jury selection anticipated next week and opening statements potentially following in the second week of July, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Chronicle reports the proceeding is expected to run about a month and a half, setting up the first major courtroom test of allegations that shook Wine Country politics.
What the Lawsuit Says
The complaint describes a pattern of alleged conduct ranging from groping and forced kissing to nonconsensual oral copulation and rape, and says six of the plaintiffs believe Foppoli used alcohol or other substances so they could not consent. It also names Christopher Creek Winery and the Santa Rosa chapter of the national charity Active 20-30 as defendants, alleging the organizations profited when he lured women to events, according to The Press Democrat.
Case Number, Judge and Motion Fights
Court dockets list the case as SCV-270527, assigned to Judge Dana B. Simonds, and reflect months of motions and tentative rulings as both sides have jockeyed for position on the trial calendar. Public court records on Trellis show hearings on summary adjudication and discovery disputes that attorneys say have helped shape what jurors will ultimately see.
Voices From the Plaintiffs and the Defense
“Words fall short of capturing the overwhelming mix of emotion and relief that comes with seeing this long-awaited day finally arrive,” one plaintiff told the San Francisco Chronicle. Foppoli’s attorney, Andrew Watters, told the paper that his client “maintains his innocence” and is “confident that the truth will come out” at trial.
Legal Implications
The California Attorney General’s office suspended a criminal investigation into Foppoli in 2024, but attorneys for the plaintiffs say evidence unearthed in the civil case could prompt prosecutors to revisit that decision, as reported by The Press Democrat. “If during the civil discovery process … we uncover additional information, will, of course, turn that over to the state attorney for additional reconsideration for prosecution,” Farrah Abraham's attorney Spencer Kuvin told the newspaper.
What to Watch at Trial
Jurors are expected to hear testimony about alleged assaults spanning from 2002 to 2021, including accounts that involve alcohol, alleged drugging, and encounters that plaintiffs say began when they were in their late teens or early 20s. The trial is set for Sonoma County's civil courthouse in Santa Rosa, and court staff list the Civil and Family Law Courthouse as the venue for filings and civil hearings, according to the Sonoma County Superior Court.
Over the coming weeks, jurors will decide whether the plaintiffs' narratives meet the lower civil standard of proof and whether any civil remedies provide a measure of accountability for the alleged harms. Whatever the verdict, the proceedings represent a significant legal reckoning for the local institutions and political circles that were jolted when these accusations first emerged.
