Councilman Awarded Legal Fees Over Suit

Two political opponents of Westminster City Councilman Tony Lam have been ordered to pay him $8,500 as part of a lawsuit stemming from the protests in Little Saigon, Lam’s attorney said Monday.

Demonstrators earlier this year targeted a Westminster video store owner who displayed a Vietnamese Communist flag and other symbols that many found offensive. As the protests grew, demonstrators began picketing Lam’s Garden Grove restaurant as a way of rebuking the Vietnamese American leader for not participating in the protests.

Lam sued in March, accusing political opponents Ky Ngo and Xuan Dang of disrupting his business during the 73-day picketing campaign, said Lam’s attorney, Edward Susolik. Ngo allegedly organized the protest, while Dang--who is Lam’s landlord--allowed protesters to use his premises to launch the demonstrations outside Lam’s restaurant, Susolik said.

That lawsuit is still pending. But when the defendants filed a motion asking that it be dismissed, Superior Court Judge Robert Monarch not only rejected the motion but ordered the two to reimburse Lam for the cost of his defense, Susolik said. Monarch noted that Lam already had succeeded in obtaining two temporary restraining orders and an injunction against Ngo and Dang.

The defendants’ attorneys, Geoffrey Lyon and Alan Boon, were also ordered to pay part of Lam’s legal fees, the attorney said.

Lyon said he and his client, Ngo, will appeal. Boon and Dang could not be reached for comment Monday.