A prominent Vietnamese American businessman is suing San Jose Councilmember Bien Doan for defamation after the two sparred in court last year — painting an alleged connection between San Jose and a federal bribery scandal in Oakland.
The Feb. 3 lawsuit by Le Bail Bonds owner Hai Huynh says Doan wrongly described him as a convicted felon. In a June restraining order trial, Doan accused Huynh of threatening his physical safety and asked a judge for protection — characterizing Huynh as a widely-feared organized crime boss in the process. The judge last year denied Doan’s request and found no evidence suggesting Huynh was a dangerous criminal in the case that brought some of Little Saigon’s most well-known public figures out to testify.
The lawsuit filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court alleges Doan’s restraining order request was an effort to silence Huynh’s online criticisms of the councilmember’s cozy relationship with a businessman at the center of a federal Oakland bribery scandal — Cal Waste Solutions CEO David Duong.
“Plaintiff (Huynh) is informed and believes, and thereon alleges, that Bien Doan and David Duong conspired against him to suppress his free speech right to voice his view that, similar to what allegedly happened at the City of Oakland, David Duong was incentivizing City of San Jose officials in order to procure CWS-city contract renewal,” Huynh’s lawsuit reads.
Huynh didn’t respond to requests for comment. Doan’s office declined to comment.
The lawsuit describes Huynh’s belief that Cal Waste Solutions improperly influenced the San Jose City Council to renew its citywide waste hauling contract after the company’s performance came under scrutiny in 2019.
Duong — who faces federal charges for bribing former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao — also chairs the Vietnamese American Business Association. The organization has been criticized by anticommunist pundits, including Huynh, for its cozy relationship with the Vietnamese government.
The organization found itself at the center of the June courtroom battle when Duong took the stand to support Doan’s claims against Huynh. Duong testified that Huynh was seen as a “Godfather” figure in the Vietnamese community. Huynh’s attorneys argued Duong had an interest in taking the bail bonds businessman down. Duong had filed his own defamation lawsuit against Huynh over posts Huynh made describing Duong as a “lackey” for communists who “recruited” the San Jose councilmember so they could work together.
Duong argued being labeled a “communist” can be a death sentence in the Vietnamese community, where older generations are still raw over the Vietnam War.
The defamatory remarks in question pertain to an exchange between Doan and Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong. Testifying in the June trial, Betty Duong recalled Doan personally warning her that the bail bondsman was “a convicted felon.”
The remark appears to stem from Huynh’s role as vice president of operations at Bay 101 Casino, where he was indicted for allegedly loansharking, threatening and intimidating witnesses, ordering an assault and having links to organized crime. A judge dropped the charges in 2000.
Huynh’s lawsuit claims Doan’s remarks cost him damages exceeding $35,000. A case management conference is scheduled for Oct. 30.
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.
Editor’s Note: Cal Waste Solutions has donated to San José Spotlight.
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