SANTA ANA : Martial Arts Customer Has a Bone to Pick

A Santa Ana man who suffers from backaches has sued a Garden Grove martial arts studio he claims falsely advertises chiropractic care under the guise of martial arts training.

Chanh Minh Le, owner of a seafood store in Little Saigon, said in the suit that he sought physical therapy from Bao Truyen Martial Arts Studio after seeing in Vietnamese-language newspapers that it specializes in “straightening and adjusting bones.”

The suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, said Le paid $1,200 for six therapy sessions. On his fifth visit last June, Le alleges in the suit that his back condition worsened after several of Truyen’s martial arts students gave him therapy.

Truyen is accused of fraudulent advertising, intentional misrepresentation and personal injuries, said Philip DeLuca, Le’s attorney.

“In his ads, he was talking about services similar to those offered only by registered physical therapists and chiropractors. He is not licensed to do these things,” DeLuca said. Tinh Van Doan, the defense attorney, said Truyen is a licensed martial arts instructor who advertises his business merely as physical fitness training.

“His ads promote body strengthening through physical fitness. He’s not claiming any chiropractic,” Doan said.

Doan charges that Le’s lawsuit was prompted by a defamation case Truyen filed against Le last July. Doan said that after the June therapy session, Le wrote letters to Vietnamese-language newspapers charging that Truyen ran an illegitimate business.

Truyen filed a defamation lawsuit to stop the allegations, Doan said. The case is awaiting arbitration, Doan said.