
Aldo Gucci's grand daughter,Alexandra Zarini, has accused her stepfather of sexually assaulting her over a period of 16 years.
The heiress of the global fashion world filed a case inthe California superior court in Los Angeles. She has accused her former stepfatherJoseph Ruffalo of sexually abusing her.
She has also filed a case against Patricia Gucci, her mother, and Bruna Palombo, her grandmother, on the charges of complicity and a cover-up.
In the lawsuit, she alleged the producer of sexually abusing her from the age of six to 22. She explained that Ruffalo used to getinto bed naked with her, and penetrate her with his hands. She also accused him of rubbing hisown genitals against her.
Hinting towards Ruffalo's alcohol problem, she said she knew shewas about to be subjected to abuse whenever she heard ice and alcohol being poured into Ruffalo's. She also accused him of encouraging her to usecocaine and crystal meth.
She said her mother and grandmother“tried to avoid, at all costs, what they perceived would be a scandal that could tarnish the Gucci name and potentially cost them millions.”
Patricia has also been accused of hitting Zarini when she was a child.
“If you think this doesn’t happen here in Beverly Hills, then you should know that my perpetrator still lives in California, spends time at the Bel-Air country club and volunteers in your children’s hospitals,” Zarini said in a video released by her lawyers.
“This is not something that only happens to other families, other neighborhoods or other countries. It is everywhere.”
Zarini has also launched her ownanti-child abuse non-profit, the Alexandra Gucci Children’s Foundation.
“What he did to her is inexcusable and I was devastated when she disclosed everything to me at our family doctor’s office in London in September 2007. I immediately initiated divorce proceedings against Mr Ruffalo and set about healing my family through counseling,” PatriciaGucci said in a statament.