Two attorneys briefed a jury Wednesday, and offered conflicting accounts of events involving seven women and Dominic Foppoli, the former mayor of the Town of Windsor.

One of the attorneys said Foppoli sexually assaulted each woman, often while they were under the influence of alcohol. The other countered that narrative, saying activity, if any, was consensual and Foppoli never forced or encouraged anyone to drink.

The differing versions of events were presented during opening arguments in Foppoli’s civil trial in Sonoma County Superior Court, where a jury of five men and seven women is expected to hear evidence and testimony into August.

At the center of the case is whether Foppoli sexually assaulted women described by their attorney, Traci Carrillo, as “seven individual and unique plaintiffs from different walks of life.” The common denominator, she said, is they had been sexually assaulted by Foppoli.

The California Attorney General’s Office investigated the matter but concluded there was insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges against Foppoli. The civil suit, filed in April 2022, became the plaintiffs’ main path for accountability.

“At the end (of testimony), we’re going to ask you for a lot of money because it’s going to be appropriate,” Carrillo told jurors during her hour-plus presentation as Foppoli sat silently a few feet away beside his attorneys.

One of his attorneys, Andrew Watters, told jurors the evidence will reveal his client did nothing wrong and the claims are part of a coordinated effort by the plaintiffs.

“You’ll see out-of-context excerpts from the plaintiffs throughout the trial,” Watters told jurors.

Sexual assault claims against Foppoli publicly surfaced in spring 2021 and more than a dozen women, including a fellow Windsor Town Council member, made public allegations against Foppoli over the course of the following year.

Among those accusing Foppoli is reality TV personality Farrah Abraham, who’s accused him of sexually assaulting her in Palm Beach, Florida, in late March 2021. She filed a separate lawsuit that may go before a jury early next year.

Foppoli denied all allegations but was pressured into resigning as mayor. Carrillo told jurors Wednesday Foppoli tried to conduct damage control and they will hear evidence and testimony illustrating his attempt to change the narrative, in particular around allegations related to the Town Council member.

Carrillo presented text messages between Foppoli and a friend, previously described as a Washington D.C.-based political operative, who publicly blasted at least one of the plaintiffs via a radio interview. Among the text messages, Foppoli wrote, “If we are using the (Donald) Trump playbook let’s do it all of the way.”

Windsor and the rest of Sonoma County was rocked by the allegations against Foppoli five years ago and a number of area residents attended Wednesday’s proceedings to see how things play out.

Among them were Windsor residents Bob and Sharon Walters, who have lived in the community since 1994 and recalled being shocked and concerned by the allegations against the city’s former top elected official.

“We didn’t have to be here, but we just kinda wanted to be here,” Bob Walters said toward the end of Wednesday’s proceedings.

Also in attendance was a handful of Foppoli supporters. One of them, who described herself as a friend of 15 years, provided The Press Democrat a statement encouraging the public to let evidence be presented and allow the justice system to do its job.

Allegations in the civil lawsuit focus on incidents the plaintiffs say occurred between 2001 and 2019, beginning when Foppoli and two plaintiffs were about 18 years old.

Scenarios show a number of parallels, according to a trial brief Carrillo filed June 17: The plaintiffs met Foppoli through professional means, were assaulted after blacking out or falling into foggy states, and told him to stop but faced resistance. In one instance, a woman locked herself in a bathroom to escape, according to the brief. In another, a woman woke up naked, in pain and bleeding.

Plaintiffs, Carrillo said Wednesday, had been overcome with shame and embarrassment while recognizing they were dealing with an individual with political and business authority. They shared their stories when contacted by a journalist and found support amongst each other, Carrillo said.

Six of the plaintiffs were present Wednesday with one of them, Jane Doe 1, taking the stand to explain how she met Foppoli in 2001. She testified they attended an improv class and gradually developed a relationship Foppoli expressed interest in making public to prevent other men from approaching her.

Proceedings ended for the day before she completed her testimony.

While summarizing each plaintiff’s allegation, Carrillo also touched on Foppoli’s business and political activities during the periods of some of the alleged assaults.

Plaintiffs say assaults occurred during events linked to his family’s Christopher Creek winery and the Active 20-30 Club, an international organization that helps children and encourages leadership skills in younger adults ages 20 to 39. Foppoli had been a member of the local chapter.

Christopher Creek and the international and local Active 20-30 organizations were all initially named as defendants, but only the latter is still part of the trial after settlements involving the other two were reached.

One of the plaintiffs says she and Foppoli were Active 20-30 members and organization leaders did not investigate after she reported an assault during a national event in Reno.

On Wednesday, the local chapter’s attorney, Clark Conforti, tried to distance the organization from Foppoli and stressed the alleged assault happened out of state. He said only vague details were presented by the plaintiff and the official she notified was “in over his head.”

“He wanted to do the right thing, but he didn’t know how,” Conforti said.

Carrillo said jurors will hear more about Active 20-30 officials in the coming weeks. Court records show upwards of 100 people may testify, including local lawmakers and members of Foppoli’s family.

Proceedings are being overseen by Sonoma County Judge Dana Simonds at the Civil Courthouse on Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com.