Steel Campaign Statement on Derek Tran Blaming “Me Too” for Alleged Rapist’s Firing
Tran designed legal case to blame sexual assault victims for serial abuser’s firing
Garden Grove, CA – Derek Tran on his website claims: “…turning down high paying jobs in corporate law, Derek chose to open up his small business in Orange County and fight for immigrants, workers, survivors of sexual harassment, and consumers.”
It turns out Tran did the exact opposite.
According to journalist Jake Lahut:
Yet in 2022, Tran began representing a Costco employee who sued the company after three women reported him internally for allegedly sexually assaulting them. Tran’s client argued he was “discriminated against for his gender due to the political climate and ‘me too’ movement.”
In evidence submitted by Costco to dismiss the lawsuit—which remains under active litigation—female employees accused Tran’s former client of repeatedly trying to touch them and remove their clothes, including on one occasion by allegedly cornering a fellow employee with his car before lifting up her shirt and trying to kiss her nipples.
“I would tell him to stop and he would continue until I would get forceful and shove him off or slap him. It should never have to get to that point,” another one of the Costco employees said of Tran’s former client, according to court documents. “A simple no should be more than enough.”
“For months, the Steel Campaign has highlighted Derek Tran’s phoniness, but this goes beyond being phony, it speaks to Tran’s character or lack thereof,” said Steel Spokesperson Lance Trover. “For Derek Tran to craft a legal theory that actually blames the victims of rape and sexual assault simply to help him make a buck off Costco is beyond repulsive.”
Read the rest here.
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