A civil jury trial opened Monday in Los Angeles as Alexandra Gucci Zarini, a 40-year-old great-granddaughter of Gucci founder Guccio Gucci, pressed claims that her former stepfather, Joseph Ruffalo, sexually abused her for years beginning when she was a child. Zarini is seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages in the suit against Ruffalo, now 85, who denies the allegations.
Zarini sat in the courtroom’s front row near the jury and the defendant as lawyers delivered opening statements in Los Angeles Superior Court. Her attorney, Gary Dordick, told jurors the case "is about the innocence of a child" and said jurors would see "overwhelming evidence" that Ruffalo was a sexual predator who began abusing Zarini when she was about 6 or 7 years old.
Dordick described a pattern of conduct in which Ruffalo allegedly entered Zarini’s bed, exposed himself and fondled her, at times presenting himself as a tutor to justify being alone with the child. He said the abuse continued through her childhood and prompted long-term effects, including substance abuse, psychiatric treatment and repeated therapy. Dordick said Zarini had reported the conduct to family doctors in 2007 and later filed a police report with the Beverly Hills Police Department.
Ruffalo, a former music manager who worked with artists including Prince and Earth, Wind & Fire, has denied the accusations. Co-defense counsel Donna Rotunno told jurors the family was "tight-knit but very dysfunctional" and argued Ruffalo and Zarini’s mother were platonic friends for years before marrying. Rotunno said Zarini had multiple motives for the lawsuit, including financial gain, and disputed the timeline and cause of her emotional and behavioral problems.
Zarini originally sued her mother, Patricia Gucci, for negligence as well as Ruffalo, but dropped the claim against her mother days before the trial began. Patricia Gucci, 62, has previously denied trying to extort money from the family and said in a statement to The New York Times that she was "deeply sorry for the pain Joseph Ruffalo caused Alexandra" and that she initiated divorce proceedings when Zarini disclosed the alleged abuse in 2007. She has also denied allegations made against her and Zarini’s grandmother.
In court, Dordick described household dynamics he said allowed the abuse to continue, including what he characterized as pressure on Zarini and her sister to show affection and respect for Ruffalo. Dordick told the jury that Zarini’s sister, Victoria Gucci-Losio, was also molested, and that the sisters are now estranged. He said Zarini told her sister to "stay away from Joe," and that the two last spoke several years ago.
The plaintiff’s opening recounted years of struggles Zarini attributes to the abuse: early substance use, an overdose, extensive hospital treatment and long-term therapy. Dordick said Ruffalo attended a clinic for people with pedophilic disorders, including a facility in South Africa, and at times acknowledged he was "sick."
Rotunno countered that Zarini exhibited mental-health and behavioral issues before Ruffalo entered the picture, that Ruffalo assisted with homework and that Zarini later asked to return to live with him after college, assertions she used to challenge causation and credibility.
Zarini began civil proceedings in 2020 and publicly recounted her allegations in a video several years ago, saying her family had failed to protect her and framing her lawsuit as an effort to hold accountable those who "look away" from child sexual abuse. She has also founded the Alexandra Gucci Children’s Foundation to combat child sexual abuse.
The Gucci family’s involvement with the fashion house ended decades ago; the family has not been associated with the Gucci brand since 1993. Zarini is married and a mother of one.
The trial is expected to turn on testimony from Zarini, family members, and expert witnesses about the alleged pattern of abuse, the family’s response in 2007, and the long-term effects on Zarini’s life. The case remains under way in Los Angeles Superior Court.