Los Angeles, CA – October 15, 2025 – The federal court has amended the judgment entered against Levi Sap Nei Thang, significantly reducing the total award from $3,197,816.44 to $1,827,323.68.
Throughout the original trial proceedings, Ms. Thang maintains that she was not provided a fair opportunity to fully present her testimony. The beginning the trial, Judge Hernán D. Vera urged her on three separate occasions to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights, which she initially declined to do. Several days later, after continued pressure from the court, Ms. Thang ultimately complied.
Despite this, the judge later relied on her invocation of the Fifth Amendment as part of the reasoning for imposing punitive damages.
The recent ruling corrects a major legal error and represents an important step toward justice. However, Ms. Thang continues to believe that additional legal mistakes affected the fairness of the case.
September 5, 2025, counsel for Ms. Thang filed a motion challenging the punitive damages portion of the original judgment. The motion argued that the punitive damages award was issued without the legally required evidence of financial condition and was therefore contrary to established law. Under longstanding legal precedent, punitive damages cannot be imposed without proper proof of a defendant’s financial circumstances.
October 15, 2025, After reviewing the motion, the federal court agreed and granted the request to amend the judgment. As a result, $1,370,492.76 in punitive damages was vacated, leading to a substantial reduction in the overall amount owed.
Counsel for Ms. Thang will be pursue the appeal regarding the remaining judgment. Further legal action will be taken to ensure that all issues are properly reviewed and addressed.
Judge Hernán D. Vera is the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He was nominated by President Joe Biden.