June 26, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

U.S. Ordered to Pay $881,675 to Lawyers of Chinese Refugees

Westside Today latest crime and courts news. Thinkstock
Westside Today latest crime and courts news. Thinkstock

A Los Angeles federal judge ordered the United States government to pay $881,675 in fees to attorneys for two female Chinese refugees who were offered asylum in exchange for sex by an immigration officer 14 years ago, it was announced on May 28.

In her May 27 ruling, U.S. District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall found that the United States acted in “bad faith” throughout the course of litigation dating back to 2000, and should pay attorneys’ fees to Schonbrun DeSimone Seplow Harris Hoffman & Harrison.

The Venice firm filed a fees motion last September under the Equal Access to Justice Act after prevailing at trial with a $1.2 million verdict stemming from civil rights violations suffered by Xue Lu and Jie Hao at the hands of Thomas A. Powell Jr., a former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service asylum officer.

Lu testified that she came to the United States and applied for asylum because of persecution suffered for violating China’s family planning policy. Hao said she suffered persecution for her Christian religious beliefs and came to United States for a better life.

Both women said they looked to the United States as a place where they would be treated fairly – until Powell contacted them for what he termed a “private” offer, isolating each of them and preying on their vulnerability.

In awarding Lu damages of $500,000 last year, Marshall wrote that the woman was in a vulnerable state when subjected to Powell’s sexual advances and subsequently suffered, among other things, “loss of enjoyment of life, grief, anxiety, humiliation, emotional distress and has signs of PTSD – post-traumatic stress disorder – and physically suffered weight loss, insomnia and avoidance of traumatic reminders.”

Marshall awarded Hao $700,000 in damages, finding that she “suffered loss of enjoyment of life, grief, anxiety, nervousness, worry, humiliation, indignity and emotional distress. This was aggravated by the nearly eight-year delay in adjudicating her asylum application,” the judge wrote.

Powell was convicted of corruption and civil rights charges and sentenced in 2004 to three years and nine months in prison for soliciting sex and money from asylum seekers.

He died in prison shortly afterward.

Related Posts

Santa Monica Police Arrest Shooting Suspect After Officer Ambushed Near Downtown Mall

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Man Linked to Waymo Vehicle Gunfire Taken Into Custody Following Tense Manhunt The suspect wanted in connection with a shooting...

Brentwood Weekend Specials: $9 Wine & Street Tacos, Blush-Inspired Lattes & Beauty Swag

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Street Tacos and Wine Meets Self-Care in Brentwood and Santa Monica Brentwood Fine Wines will welcome back local culinary favorite...

Michelin Stars Shine Bright on LA: Somni West Hollywood and Providence Earn Top Honors

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Two Restaurants in Los Angeles Receive Three Stars as Michelin Guide Celebrates Bold Flavors The MICHELIN Guide California 2025 celebrated...

Cherished Culver City Ice Cream Vendor Abducted in Broad Daylight

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano’s Disappearance Led To Grassroots Action Ambrocio Lozano, also known in the neighborhood as Enrique, was abducted around...

Brentwood Home by Landry Design Group Wins Top National Architecture Award

June 25, 2025

June 25, 2025

Landry Design Group Wins Gold Nugget Awards for Brentwood, Crestwood Projects Landry Design Group (LDG) earned two top honors at...

(Video) WISE & Healthy Aging Helps Loved Ones Boost Their Quality of Life

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

See How the Nonprofit’s Innovative Programs Advance the Dignity of Life for Older Adults See How the Nonprofit’s Innovative Programs...

Masked Federal Agents Detain Iranian Asylum Seeker and Wife in Westwood

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

31-Year-Old Woman was Hospitalized After Possible Medical Emergency On Tuesday, June 24, between 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., near the...

Los Angeles Leaders Push to Ban Masks for Federal Agents Amid Immigration Raids

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Concerns Grow Over Anonymous ICE and CBP Officers in Los Angeles   A growing coalition of California lawmakers and local leaders...

(Video) Food Fight: Chefs Join Forces to Raise Money to Protect Immigrant Families in Venice

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Estrano, Little Dynamite, Sunday Gravy, Kabob Senpai Answer the Call From Turk’s Pizza Party. Dave Turkel Put This Food Resistance...

Squatter-Plagued Beverly Grove Buildings Could Be Razed After Hazard Cleanup

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Demolition of Three Abandoned Apartments May Begin in Two Weeks Three abandoned apartment buildings in Beverly Grove may soon be...

From Westwood to DTLA, Angelenos March Against Military Escalation in Iran

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Protestors Rally at the Westwood Federal Building This Weekend Following President Donald Trump’s authorization of airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear-related...

LAPD Sergeant Killed Assisting Crash Victims on 405 Freeway in Brentwood

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Tragic Early-Morning Collision Claims Two Lives, Including Veteran Sergeant Two people, including an LAPD sergeant, were killed early Monday in...

Recent Homebuyer Down Payments Slip for First Time in Nearly Two Years

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

April’s Median Down Payment Fell as Buyers Lean Toward Lower-Cost Homes The median down payment made by U.S. homebuyers dropped...

Del Rey Affordable Housing Project to Rise on Former Charter School Site

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Community Corp., Local Faith Group Team Up to Build 122 New Apartments Plans are moving forward for a new residential...

Paris Hilton Buys Mark Wahlberg’s Beverly Park Mansion for $63.1M

June 22, 2025

June 22, 2025

The Heiress and Media Mogul Joins a Star-Studded Neighborhood Paris Hilton and husband Carter Reum have purchased a high-profile estate...