Patricia Gucci, who is being sued by one of her two daughters over alleged sexual abuse by her stepfather, wants the public excluded from hearing trial testimony by her other daughter, who also claims she was molested by the same man.
Plaintiff Alexandra Zarini is the great granddaughter of Guccio Gucci, who created the Gucci luxury brand. Zarini’s mother is Patricia Gucci. Now 62, Patricia Gucci was born during Aldo Gucci’s extramarital affair with Bruna Palombo, who was initially a co-defendant in the lawsuit along with Gucci and Zarini’s stepfather, Joseph Ruffalo, whom she alleges sexually abused her.
In court papers filed with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Small in advance of a Friday hearing, Gucci’s attorneys state that allowing Victoria Losio, Gucci’s younger daughter and a third-party witness, testify in open court would be embarrassing to her and make public confidential facts.
“To protect Victoria Losio’s privacy rights, the court should close the courtroom during her testimony and at any other time when a witness or attorney discusses the specific physical details of the childhood abuse she experienced,” Gucci’s attorneys state in their court papers.
Although the public is aware that Ruffalo allegedly sexually abused both Zarini and Losio, the public does not have the explicit physical details about Losio, according to the Gucci attorneys’ court papers.
Unlike Zarini, who has spoken publicly about the abuse in social media, the press and by filing her lawsuit, Losio has not publicly acknowledged the specific details of her “traumatic past” and has only commented so as to correct the record as to her sister’s allegations, Gucci’s attorneys further state in their court papers.
In a largely redacted sworn statement, Losio says of Ruffalo, “He sexually abused both me and my sister throughout our childhoods.”
Zarini’s attorneys oppose the courtroom closure motion.
“Consistently needing to open and close the courtroom to the public will cause distractions and interruption of throughout the proceedings that will cause prejudice to (Zarini),” the plaintiff’s lawyer contend in their pleadings.
Zarini’s allegations against her mother are for negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Palombo, who is in her 80s and lives in Italy, was later dropped as a defendant by Zarini’s attorneys.
Patricia Gucci was married to Ruffalo, a former music manager, from 1993 to 2008. The pair lived together in Los Angeles from 1992 to 1998 and she left him after her daughter allegedly told her he was molesting her. Zarini sued the trio in September 2020.
Patricia Gucci’s lawyers maintained in their earlier court papers that Ruffalo, not their client, and his alleged abuses were the cause of Zarini’s injuries and that therefore the plaintiff was precluded from avoiding the statute of limitations by claiming to do so under a special statute.
Patricia Gucci’s lawyers also maintained in their court papers that she was not negligent because she did not know Ruffalo was allegedly abusing Zarini until her daughter reached age 22 and disclosed what had happened.
Trial of Zarini’s suit is scheduled Monday.