Who is Alexandra Zarini? ‘Tearful’ Gucci heiress granted $115m in sex abuse case against stepfather
Alexandra Zarini wins jury verdict against her stepfather, resulting in $115 million damages for sexual abuse.
In a “landmark” decision, Gucci heiress Alexandra Zarini who prevailed in a case against her former stepfather, a "sexual predator pedophile," who she said had molested her for years starting when she was just six years old, was granted $115 million in damages.
Zarini, a 40-year-old handbag designer and children's champion, presented an exceptional lawsuit that provoked a huge breach among the successors of the premium fashion brand.
In 2007, Patricia Gucci, then 62, filed for divorce from her second husband, Joseph Ruffalo, then 85, after her daughter made stunning accusations against him.
A look at Alexandra Zarini's case
After 2 hours and 40minutes hearing, a jury consisting of six men and six women in Los Angeles Superior Court found Ruffalo guilty of sexual abuse and willful infliction of mental distress on Tuesday.
When the overwhelming verdict was read out in Department 57, Zarini shed a single tear as she was sitting beside her spouse in the front row of the public gallery. She was donning a matching black outfit consisting of a jacket, leggings, blouse, and flat pumps.
After the verdict, she told the Daily Mail that she was “extremely grateful. The jury was incredible.” She also described the case as “really hard, scary, painful.”
She turned to drugs as a coping mechanism for her challenging circumstances, which, as usual, just made everything worse. According to her, she used a lot of medicines to dull the ache of the mistreatment.
Who is Alexandra Zarini?
Alexandra Gucci Zarini, who was born in 1985, is the creator of the Alexandra Gucci Children's Foundation and the mission-driven luxury fashion brand AGCF. She also advocates for children. As a member and heiress of the Gucci dynasty, she is the great-granddaughter of Guccio Gucci and the granddaughter of Aldo Gucci.
Zarini's primary connection to the Gucci dynasty is her mother. Her mother is the only child that Aldo Gucci and his wife, Patricia Gucci, raised together.
Josef Zarini, her spouse, has experience in venture capital and traditional investment banking.
