The courtroom brimmed with tension. The judge called the first witness, a woman in her mid-thirties, who walked with shaky legs to the stand. Her voice cracked at first but grew stronger as she detailed the pattern of harassment she'd endured at the restaurateur's hands.

Zoe clasped her hands in her lap, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. Chloe slipped an arm around her shoulders, steadying her. Melinda and Diana exchanged looks, this was bigger than even they'd anticipated.

One woman's ...