A Sonoma County jury unanimously found former Windsor, California, Mayor Dominic Foppoli civilly liable for sexually assaulting seven women over nearly two decades, and now a punitive damages phase could drive the total even higher.

Foppoli, a Democrat who served as mayor of the small Northern California town from late 2018 until his resignation in 2021, was ordered to pay $13 million in compensatory damages following a seven-week trial. The jury also found the Santa Rosa chapter of Active 20-30, an all-male charity social club to which Foppoli belonged, liable for one of the assaults, awarding that plaintiff an additional $2 million in damages. The verdict was unanimous, and the jury found "clear and convincing" evidence that Foppoli acted with "oppression, fraud, and malice" against the women, the Daily Mail reported.

The seven plaintiffs, identified only as Jane Does, alleged that Foppoli assaulted them over a period stretching from 2001 to 2020. A total of 13 women have accused Foppoli of sexual assault or misconduct, Fox News reported. Despite the breadth of those accusations, Foppoli has never faced criminal charges.

That gap, a $13 million civil judgment with zero criminal prosecution, is worth pausing on. Seven women came forward, endured a seven-week trial, and persuaded a unanimous jury. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have done nothing.

Foppoli maintained innocence on the stand, the jury disagreed

Foppoli testified during the trial and denied the allegations. On the stand, he offered a striking admission about his personal conduct while rejecting the assault claims entirely. Fox News reported his testimony:

"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."

The jury was not persuaded. Outside the courthouse after the verdict, Foppoli said the women were motivated by money and were "trying to crucify me for a cause I'm not responsible for."

His defense attorney, Andrew Watters, told the Daily Mail the verdict reflected inflamed passions rather than sound deliberation:

"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."

Watters added that the jury appeared to have "hated my client" and made "a very large award to punish and make an example of him." He said the defense is seeking a mistrial, claiming witness testimony was improperly excluded. If that motion fails, Foppoli plans to appeal.

Foppoli is far from the only Democratic officeholder to face serious misconduct allegations in recent years. A former Virginia Democratic official was sentenced to 10 years for child sex abuse crimes, and similar scandals have surfaced across the party's ranks at the state and local level.

Plaintiffs' attorney: 'Their trauma was real, and they were believed'

Traci Carrillo, the attorney representing the seven Jane Does, framed the verdict as long-overdue accountability. She told Fox News Digital:

"It took over 5 years to get them justice, which was always about accountability. Their trauma was real, and they were believed, not shamed or silenced in the courtroom."

Carrillo told the Daily Mail that accountability mattered more to her clients than money. "It was that accountability that was more important to my clients than the dollar amount," she said. She added that she looks forward to the punitive damages phase, where the jury will consider additional financial penalties against Foppoli and the Active 20-30 club.

Gina Fortino Dickson, another plaintiffs' attorney, called the outcome significant. "This is a huge victory for a lot of people, starting with the Jane Does," she told the New York Post.

One plaintiff claimed she had warned the Active 20-30 club about Foppoli's behavior and that the organization failed to investigate. The jury agreed, holding the Santa Rosa chapter liable for that woman's assault and awarding her $2 million in additional damages. The Daily Mail reported it had reached out to Active 20-30 for comment but received no response.

The pattern of Democratic officials facing serious criminal or civil liability for misconduct extends well beyond California. In Texas, Democrat Bobby Pulido drew outrage for dismissing child molestation and bringing a convicted sex offender to a middle school.

Farrah Abraham's separate civil case still looms

Foppoli's legal troubles do not end with this verdict. Reality TV star Farrah Abraham, known for the show "16 & Pregnant," has filed a separate civil lawsuit accusing Foppoli of sexually assaulting her in Palm Beach in 2021. That case is expected to go to trial next year.

Abraham allegedly provided police with photos and videos of the encounter. Her attorney, Spencer Kuvin, told the San Francisco Chronicle at the time the allegations became public: "This is not a 'he said, she said' situation. She has physical proof. We believe it is in felony territory."

Foppoli dismissed Abraham's claims when they first surfaced. "I have no doubt she is making these allegations in an attempt to leverage the situation to her advantage," he said at the time. Shortly after Abraham's accusations became public in 2021, Foppoli resigned from the mayor's office.

The Abraham case adds another layer to an already sprawling set of allegations. If Kuvin's characterization is accurate, physical evidence, felony-level conduct, the absence of criminal charges becomes even harder to explain.

Misconduct allegations against Democratic officials have become a recurring theme nationally. An FBI sexual misconduct probe involving Rep. Eric Swalwell has drawn similar scrutiny over whether Democratic figures face adequate accountability from law enforcement and their own party.

No criminal charges, despite 13 accusers spanning two decades

Perhaps the most glaring detail in this case is the one that did not happen. Thirteen women have accused Foppoli of sexual assault or misconduct. Seven of them just won a $13 million civil verdict backed by a unanimous jury that found clear and convincing evidence of oppression, fraud, and malice. And yet no prosecutor has filed a single criminal charge.

The information provided does not explain why. No district attorney's statement appears in the record. No declination letter has been referenced. The question simply hangs there: if the civil standard, lower than the criminal one, produced a unanimous verdict, what exactly is the criminal justice system waiting for?

Foppoli's defense attorney called the verdict the product of "junk science" and inflamed passions. Foppoli himself blamed the accusers' motives. But seven women sat through a seven-week trial, and twelve jurors agreed, unanimously, that every one of them was telling the truth.

Other Democratic officials in different states have faced serious legal consequences for misconduct. A Hawaii Democrat was charged with felony threats after a confrontation on Maui, illustrating that accountability sometimes does catch up, though often slowly and unevenly.

The punitive damages phase still lies ahead. Carrillo, the plaintiffs' attorney, said she expects the jury to "send a clear message that this behavior will no longer be tolerated in this community." If the compensatory award is any indication, that message could be expensive.

Thirteen accusers, $13 million in damages, zero criminal charges, and a punitive phase still to come. The jury did its job. The question now is whether anyone else in the system plans to do theirs.