Today, designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce, as well as their accountant Luciano Patellito, have been found not guilty of tax evasion in Italy's highest court, WWD reports. The decision overturns two previous sentences by lower courts.
The charges stem from an investigation into the 2004 sale of the Dolce & Gabbana label to Luxembourg-based holding company Gado, S.r.l., a move which was seen as an attempt to avoid Italian taxes. That investigation found in 2010 that Dolce & Gabbana owed more than $1 billion in unpaid taxes.
After several years of battling Italy's Tax Commission, the two designers and Patellito were found guilty and sentenced to 18 months' jail time in April of 2014.
Today, that verdict was overturned by a jury stating that there was "no grounds" for a case. We trust the designers will celebrate by designing a gown in red or black lace, or perhaps a pair of $12,000 jeans. (WWD)