Vietnamese Group Sues Councilman Lam
A lawsuit by a prominent Vietnamese organization accuses Westminster Councilman Tony Lam of blaming them for an arson fire at his Little Saigon restaurant.
The defamation suit filed last week in Orange County Superior Court by the Vietnamese Community of Southern California also alleges that Lam accused them, according to the suit, of “inciting threats and violence in the local Vietnamese community.”
The suit stems from a controversy involving rival Tet celebrations in late February. The Vietnamese Community of Southern California organized the festival in Garden Grove; Lam supported the one in Westminster.
On Feb. 13, Lam’s Vien Dong restaurant in Westminster suffered damage in a small arson fire. Stuart M. Parker, a Newport Beach lawyer for the Vietnamese group, said Lam blamed them.
“It was a cheap shot to take his own personal tragedy and use it for his own political advantage,” Parker said.
Lam denied blaming the Vietnamese Community for the fire.
“I didn’t accuse anybody,” Lam said Monday. “I’ve left the matter to law enforcement.”
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