A Buddhist nun has filed a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court, alleging that she was sexually assaulted, exploited, and retaliated against while living and working at two Vietnamese American temples in Southern California. The case has expanded into competing legal actions, as two abbots and their associated foundation have responded with a federal countersuit accusing the nun of extortion, theft, and immigration-related fraud.
The nun, identified in court filings under an alias, claims she was brought from Vietnam to the city of Westminster in January 2024 with promises of a religious worker visa, a path to US citizenship, and assistance in securing a green card for her nephew. While residing at Dieu Ngu Buddhist Temple, the nun has alleged that she was sexually assaulted and raped three times by the abbot, Venerable Xuan Ngoc Ho, also known as Thich Vien Huy. According to the complaint, the assaults occurred as recently as March 2024, with the abbot at times entering the women’s dormitory while intoxicated, despite security measures meant to prevent such entry.
The nun’s lawsuit also alleges labor exploitation, stating that she worked up to 15 hours a day, seven days a week, in largely secular tasks, such as office management, food sales, cooking, cleaning, and gardening. For this, she has claimed that she was paid only US$300–400 per month, without legally mandated breaks or proper wage records, and forced to live in a cramped, windowless room without basic amenities.
The complaint further asserts that when the nun told the abbot that she intended to report the abuse, she was expelled from the Westminster temple and sent to Dieu Phap Buddhist Temple in San Gabriel, overseen by Ven. Xuan Ngoc Ho’s brother, Ven. Tang Ho, also known as Thich Vien Ly. There, the nun has alleged that she was misled into believing her visa had been denied, pressured to leave the country, and ultimately expelled from both temples. She claims that her immigration documents were withheld and that she and her family faced intimidation intended to silence her.
The suit, initially filed in June and amended on 12 August, names both abbots, the International Buddhist Cultural Heritage Foundation that oversees the temples, and 125 unnamed defendants. The suit includes 20 counts ranging from sexual battery, assault, and gender violence to human trafficking, retaliation under labor and civil rights laws, wrongful termination, wage violations, and unfair business practices. The nun was seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as unpaid wages and statutory penalties.
On 15 August, the abbots and the foundation filed a federal countersuit denying all allegations and asserting that they, rather than the nun, were the victims. Their suit, filed in the US District Court, accuses the nun of extortion, alleging she demanded US$650,000 while threatening to reveal damaging claims and photographs. The countersuit also charges her with the theft of thousands of dollars in temple donations, pressuring the foundation to continue her visa sponsorship, and attempting to arrange a fraudulent marriage to remain in the US.
“The foundation and its personnel strongly deny any wrongdoing against [her], and in fact, as alleged in this federal lawsuit, it is the foundation and its personnel who are the victims,” said attorney Edward Susolik, counsel for the abbots and the foundation, in a news release. (The East Bay Times)
The countersuit disputes her claims of underpayment and forced labor, arguing that Buddhist monks and nuns take vows of poverty, receive food, housing, medical care, and a modest stipend, and share temple tasks communally “like a family.” (The East Bay Times) The abbots further state that she was not expelled, but voluntarily returned to Vietnam in March 2024 after her visa status lapsed, with the foundation declining to renew sponsorship. They deny withholding documents or intimidating her.
The lawsuits, now proceeding in state and federal courts, highlight tensions in Buddhist temples serving the large Vietnamese American community in Southern California. Orange County, home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese Americans in the US, has long supported a vibrant Buddhist presence, with dozens of temples and monastic communities. Cases such as this cast a spotlight on questions of governance, accountability, and the treatment of vulnerable religious workers within immigrant religious institutions.
See more
Buddhist nun alleges sexual assault in lawsuit against California Vietnamese-American temple (East Bay Times)
2 California abbots file countersuit against Buddhist nun for $5 million (East Bay Times)
$6 million Buddhist temple will be Westminster’s first traditional, ornate temple (The Orange County Register)
Related news reports from BDG
Tendai Buddhist Priest Accused of Abuse in Japan
Shambhala USA at Heart of Vermont Supreme Court Case Extending Abuse Survivor Rights
Healing Our Sanghas: New Website Seeks Discussion of Karmapa Abuse Allegations
Alarm Bells Sounded Over Child Abuse in Thailand’s Buddhist Temples
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche Steps Down from Teaching as Misconduct and Abuse Allegations Continue to Emerge
Dalai Lama Speaks on Abuse by Dharma Teachers After Meeting Alleged Victims
