Active 20-30 club denies enabling Dominic Foppoli’s alleged sexual misconduct

A local social and philanthropic club, one of several defendants named in a lawsuit filed by seven women who say they were sexually assaulted by former Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli, is denying allegations that it helped facilitate or is liable for Foppoli’s alleged misconduct.

In a response to the April 4 lawsuit, which it filed with the Sonoma County Superior Court on Friday, the Santa Rosa chapter of Active 20-30 rejected “each and every, all and singular, generally and specifically, all of the allegations.”

Foppoli, who was served the lawsuit on May 15 at his parents’ Windsor home, also denies the allegations made by the plaintiffs.

Reached Monday via text, he called their suit a “baseless attempt for an easy payday” and maintained his innocence.

“I look forward to being fully vindicated. These women and their attorney owe my family, Active 20-30, and my town an apology for continuing to try and drag out these false claims,” he said.

In their 30-page complaint, Foppoli’s accusers, who are represented by Santa Rosa lawyer Traci Carrillo, contend he used his “power, connections and alcohol to prey upon dozens of women in Sonoma County.”

First made public in April 2021 and recounted in the suit, the alleged incidents took place as recently as February 2020 and date as far back as 2001. In each, Foppoli is accused of some form of sexual misconduct, including groping or rape.

The lawsuit also accuses Santa Rosa Active 20-30, a local affiliate of an international service organization dedicated to youth charity and volunteering, alongside Christopher Creek Winery, which is owned by Foppoli and his brother, of profiting from Foppoli “luring plaintiffs to events held at or on behalf of” the two groups.

Active 20-30 and Christopher Creek Winery enabled Foppoli, the lawsuit contends, because he “acted as an agent” of the two entities, which hosted the events during which the alleged abuse occurred.

A November 2021 investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle found local Active 20-30 leadership was aware of sexual misconduct allegations against Foppoli, but ignored or made light of the complaints. The club subsequently expelled Foppoli.

“All defendants were well aware that defendant Foppoli was abusing, harassing and assaulting women … and that he had a long history of doing so,” the lawsuit argues.

Despite this, the complaint continues, neither the winery nor the social club took action against Foppoli; instead, they “ratified defendant Foppoli’s actions by enabling and encouraging him, providing him access to women, covering up his actions and forcing women … to continue to have to be exposed to him despite his despicable behavior.”

Concord attorney Joseph Minioza, who is representing Santa Rosa Active 20-30, not only denies his client’s responsibility in any of the allegations, but is also asking that his client be dismissed from the suit.

He argues in the filing that the plaintiffs show no proof Active 20-30 was notified that “employees created a particular risk or hazard to others.”

Active 20-30 also counters that any of the plaintiffs’ “alleged injuries, losses, or damages, if any there were, were aggravated by (their) failure to use reasonable diligence to mitigate them,” and that the women “acknowledged, ratified, consented to, or acquiesced to the acts complained of in the complaint, and said consent was both express and implied.”

Active 20-30 “acted in reasonable and good faith” and “fully complied with all obligations imposed by case law, statute, contracts, or any other source.” Any injuries or damages were “due to the negligence and fault of others, without any fault or want of care on the part of” Active 20-30, according to its response to the plaintiffs’ suit.

The seven plaintiffs are not named in their lawsuit, as alleged victims of sexual assault are allowed to remain anonymous under the law. They are seeking damages, civil penalties, attorneys’ fees and other injunctions.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, which began a criminal investigation into these allegations handed its findings over to the Attorney General’s Office in March. There have been no updates in that case, an AG’s office spokesperson said as of May 10.

In May 2021, Foppoli, 40, resigned as Windsor mayor after weeks of defying widespread and nearly universal calls from constituents and local, state and federal lawmakers who demanded his resignation after the initial allegations came to light.

“Generally, this is what would be expected,” Carrillo, the plaintiffs’ attorney, said on Monday of the defendants’ response. “They are going to deny, and they are going to say we can't prove it.”

She continued, “Part of it is, ‘let’s blame the victim,’ which is unfortunate — but again, expected.

“Our position is we know we can prove everything we've alleged. ... I expect that discovery and litigation will show they’ve done everything we’ve alleged them to do and are liable,” Carrillo said.

You can reach Staff Writer Emily Wilder at 707-521-5337 or emily.wilder@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @vv1lder.