It is known that the petition from the Central District Federal Court of California on September 27 contained many noteworthy information.
The Central District Federal Court of California (USA) has decided to transfer the civil lawsuit between Hung Huynh (Dam Vinh Hung) and Gerard Richard Williams III (Bich Tuyen's husband) to the superior court of Cam District, California.
This verdict is considered an important advantage for the plaintiff (Dam Vinh Hung), and at the same time reaffirms the principle of trial authority in the US legal system.
Defendant with incorrect residential status
According to the case file, on October 31, 2024, Mr. Hung Huynh sued Mr. Gerard Richard Williams III at the Cam District High Court. On August 7, 2025, the defendant (Gerard Richard Williams III - Bich Tuyen's husband) submitted a request to transfer the case to the Federal Court on the grounds that the two sides were of different nationality. Mr. Williams said that the plaintiff is a Vietnamese citizen, and he is a Missouri citizen, so the case is eligible under federal authority.
However, on September 4, 2025, the plaintiff objected and requested the Federal Court to return the case. Mr. Hung Huynh argued that the defendant had submitted the application within the prescribed 30-day deadline and had declared the place of residence incorrectly. Accordingly, Mr. Williams actually lived in California for many years, not the Missouri as described. This makes the defendant fall into the case of "civil servants of the state where the lawsuit is filed", who are prohibited from being transferred to the Federal Court under the "forum defendant rule" principle (ie the principle of prohibiting the defendant from being a citizen of the state where the lawsuit is filed to the federal court in that state).
After consideration, the Federal Judge determined that the defendant did not meet the procedures and content to keep the case at the federal level. The court decided to accept the plaintiff's request and cancel the scheduled hearing on October 7, 2025 because it felt that the case had sufficient grounds to issue a written verdict.
The case returns to Cam District, each party will bear the costs
In the same decision, the plaintiff also requested the Court to force the defendant to compensate for attorney fees for "incorrectly transferring the case". However, the Judge said that the transfer of the case, although not in accordance with the law, was not an completely unreasonable act, so there was no basis to impose additional costs. Therefore, each party will bear its own legal costs.
This decision is significant as it once again affirms the role of the defendant rule forum in the US legal system. This rule is set out to prevent the defendant from taking advantage of the Federal Court to avoid the State Court right at their place of residence. At the same time, the case also shows the strictness of US law on the deadline for filing a lawsuit, especially the 30-day limit for the request to transfer the case.
With the recent ruling, the lawsuit against Hung Huynh and Gerard Richard Williams III will continue to be resolved at the superior court of Cam District, California, where the case was initially filed. The final result will depend on the upcoming trials, but this step is considered a significant advantage for singer Dam Vinh Hung.
