The defendant (ie Mr. Gerard Williams - singer Bich Tuyen's husband) officially submitted a request to transfer the entire file from the California Supreme Court (Orange County) to the Federal Court system. This move would not only change the trial location but could also create a legal advantage for Mr. Williams.
According to the initial lawsuit, Dam Vinh Hung stated that he was a resident of Orange County, California. In a previous lawsuit, Gerard Williams himself testified in Orange County.
This makes the lawsuit beyond the authority of the state court. However, in the new document, Mr. Williams provided another piece of information: His permanent residence is actually in Christian County, Missouri.
Notably, the defendant also argued that Dam Vinh Hung's real residence was in Vietnam, specifically at an address in the Bac Hai area, Ho Chi Minh City. With this argument, Mr. Williams wants to apply the Diversity Jurisdiction regulation a condition for a federal court to intervene if both sides are from different states or countries and the dispute value exceeds 75,000 USD.
If the federal court accepts, the lawsuit will be considered a dispute between a Missouri citizen and a Vietnamese citizen, eligible for trial at the federal level.
In this context, the defendant may benefit. In the California state court, the plaintiff only needed to convince 9/12 plaintiffs to win the lawsuit. But in federal court, the verdict must receive the absolute consent of the entire jury, making the possibility of a "bottleneck" situation higher - which is often unfavorable for the plaintiff.
In terms of procedures, Dam Vinh Hung still has the right to file an objection, requesting the federal court to return the file to the state court. In addition, federal judges have the right to self-examine and reject if they find the Diversity Jurisdiction condition not met. This process may take a long time, depending on the court's verification of the residential area factor and the value of the dispute.
Mr. Williams' move is considered a legal strategy to reduce the risk of losing the lawsuit. Therefore, if the plaintiff is truly a Vietnamese resident, it will be a big challenge, because the documents, statements and evidence of the artist's residence in the US can contradict the defendant's arguments.
Previously, in February and March 2025, Mr. Williams requested the central California federal court to take Dam Vinh Hung's testimony related to another lawsuit that he planned to file abroad, even though the male singer was not prosecuted. This shows that the legal relationship between the two sides has been strained before.
If the lawsuit is transferred to a federal court, the settlement time could be longer, but the outcome would be strongly binding nationwide.
The final outcome still depends on the court's ruling on the factor of residence and the value of the dispute. Meanwhile, neither Dam Vinh Hung nor Gerard Williams have yet made new public comments on this development.
