A jury on Sept. 16 awarded $115 million to Gucci heiress Alexandra Gucci Zarini, 40, in a childhood sexual abuse civil case filed against her former stepfather Joseph Ruffalo. Beverly Hills-based attorney Gary Dordick represented Zarini in the case and said the judgment was justified based on the severity of the abuse, which occurred over a 16-year period from 1991 to 2007 when his client was 6 through 22 years old.

“It is really, really despicable conduct, and he should definitely be made to pay for what he did,” Dordick said. “I had asked the jury for $100 million and on the compensatory damages, and they came up with $85 million, which certainly is well within reason, and then they awarded $30 million additional in punitive damage. To many people, they will look at that and they’ll think that’s an outrageous amount of money for one person. Unfortunately, however, the damages were just catastrophic. This was a childhood sexual abuse case, and it was despicable harm that was done to my client. So the damages are actually reasonable in light of the conduct involved.”

Dordick noted that he worked alongside his daughter Taylor Dordick on the case.

“My daughters and I continue to be very passionate about protecting the rights of individuals, and I feel really fortunate that I get to practice law with my family and do what we love to do,” he added.

The legal battle unfolded over five years. Zarini, founder and chair of the luxury brand AGCF, described the judgment as a landmark victory that signals hope for victims of similar trauma. Zarini plans to donate all of the money she receives from the judgement to charitable organizations addressing childhood sexual abuse.

“My heartfelt thanks and gratitude go to the jury for this courageous verdict. This victory in the civil justice system marks a significant step forward in the fight for accountability and child protection, despite the failures of the criminal justice system and law enforcement to deliver justice so far,” Zarini said. “To every child who has been hurt, you are not alone. Your story matters, and your courage can change the world. Let’s stand together to build a world where no child knows this pain, where every child finds hope and justice.”

Dordick said the abuse occurred at multiple locations, including Beverly Hills, Palm Desert and London. Zarini did not report the abuse until much later. Ruffalo was never charged criminally due to a lack of corroborating evidence, Dordick said.

“Unfortunately, as is the case in most child sex abuse situations, the children don’t report it,” Dordick said. “Sadly, it’s truly outrageous the number of people in our society who have … experienced some type of sexual abuse. And we see that because we use confidential jury questionnaires, and you would be appalled to learn of the number of people that have had some connection with sexual abuse in their lives. The jury heard the testimony of my client and it was a tremendous vindication for her that 12 strangers from the community listened to her testimony and truly appreciated the devastation that she suffered and made a significant award that tells her that they heard her, they believe her and they want to make sure she’s going to be OK.”

Chicago-based attorney Donna Rotunno defended Ruffalo in the case. Rotunno previously defended film producer Harvey Weinstein in a case in which Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of rape and sexual assault in New York.

“We will always respect a jury verdict even if we do not agree with it,” Rotunno said in a statement. “I do feel the legislation needs to change with respect to allowing the filing of claims decades later, leaving little opportunity for an accused to adequately defend oneself.”