It was a mass rape trial that shook France: 51 men found guilty at once, mostly for raping Gisèle Pelicot, a woman then in her 60s. She had been drugged into a comalike state by her own husband, who then invited other men to rape her, too. The abuse went on for years.

Dominique Pelicot, 72, now her ex-husband, received the maximum sentence, 20 years. The other 50 men received sentences ranging from three to 15 years in prison.

But one, Husamettin Dogan, is appealing the verdict, arguing that he is not guilty and should be set free. His appeal trial starts Monday in Nîmes, opening a new chapter in a case that galvanized women in France and beyond to speak out against the prevalence and banality of rape and rape culture.

Here is a timeline of events in the case, based on court records and testimonies.

1973

The Pelicots marry at age 20, two years after meeting. “We were so in love, we didn’t want to be apart,” Ms. Pelicot told the court at the trial.

1974

The first of their three children is born. They settle on the outskirts of Paris. Ms. Pelicot, a manager at a big public company, is the family’s main breadwinner, and Mr. Pelicot works in different jobs, including as a real estate agent.

2010

Mr. Pelicot is caught filming under women’s skirts in a shopping mall near Paris, using a miniature camera concealed in a pen. He is arrested and fined 100 euros, about $120, for “capturing indecent images.” Ms. Pelicot learns of that arrest only in 2020, from an investigative judge in the lead-up to the first trial. “If I had been informed, maybe I would have left him, or not,” she told the court. “But I would have been more attentive.”