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SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

Sunday, May 19, 2024

Texas business owner prevails in defamation lawsuit

Lawsuits
Webp bender

Andrew Bender | Andrews Myers

HOUSTON – Duc Dinh of the Duc Dinh Center, an after-school tutoring center, has prevailed in a longstanding defamation dispute, a press release states. 

After a legal battle spanning nearly four years, a Harris County judge found that the defendant posted false and defamatory statements on social media alleging that Dinh had sexually assaulted her. 

At the conclusion of the bench trial, Judge Dedra Davis called the defendant’s story a “fairytale,” found that “on a scale of 1-10, she had a 0 in credibility,” and described it as “infuriating” to sexual assault victims who are “actually telling the truth.”

In 2020, the then 21-year-old woman posted comments on her X (Twitter) and Instagram accounts claiming Dinh had assaulted her. She tagged Dinh’s business in her posts. He subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging that her defamatory statements on social media were false, that the false accusations harmed his after-school tutoring center, and that his reputation had been severely damaged.

The trial team, composed of lead counsel Dean Blumrosen of the Law Offices of Dean M. Blumrosen, along with Andrew Bender of Andrews Myers, represented Duc Dinh Center and Dinh, who never wavered in his denial of any wrongdoing. 

“We are extremely pleased with the ruling in favor of Duc Dinh and thankful for the court’s vindication of our client,” said Bender.

Dinh requested $0 in damages, successfully moved to dismiss the Duc Dinh Center from the counter lawsuit in 2021, and wished solely to restore his good name in Houston’s thriving Vietnamese community, the press release states. 

Blumrosen praised the Judge’s eloquence when talking about the damage these types of cases do to real victims. 

“Judge Davis, as a female Judge during the MeToo movement, cares deeply about women’s issues and was very deliberate and thoughtful in her comments about this case,” Blumrosen said.

The court’s ruling from the bench vindicated Dinh and he and his counsel appreciate the careful consideration given by the court in reaching the long-awaited result, the press release states. 

The case is styled Dinh v. Nguyen, No. 2020-67616, in the 270th Judicial District Court of Harris County, Texas. 

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