SACRAMENTO, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A California court on Monday threw out a sex offender's $4 million lawsuit against his victim in a decision hailed by rape victim's advocates.
Lang Her, 26, is currently serving a one-year jail sentence for sexually assaulting Yee Xiong, 24, at an off-campus apartment when both were students at the University of California, Davis in 2012.
After two hung juries, Her pleaded no contest in July. Minutes after Her was sentenced, Xiong and her family were sued for defamation by Her, claiming they called him a rapist on Facebook, in one of the latest of a new trend of lawsuits by men convicted of sexual assault.
"Women who come forward and report these crimes have to know ... that they are not going to get sued," said Xiong's lawyer McGregor Scott. "I hope this sends a message ... that this is not going to be tolerated."
A Yuba County judge took less than 30 minutes to toss the suit filed by Her.
"I think (Her's family) wanted to get revenge, to hurt me in some way," Xiong said. "They just wanted to get back at me."
Her and his lawyer had no comment.
During July's sentencing hearing, Xiong told Her in the courtroom, "Did you think I was going to stay quiet and let you get away with raping me? ... You really are the coward and fool that you know you are. You're pathetic, desperate, and a monster."
