Uncle of Le GRD '13 does not support suit

Vivian Le on the Today show.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

James Bui, uncle of former pharmacology student Annie Le GRD ’13, told the News in an email early Monday morning that he does not support the wrongful death lawsuit between Le's estate and Yale, and that the suit is only supported by one member of Le's family.

The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Le's estate, and lawyer for the plaintiff Joseph Tacopina told the News last week that he is not representing any individual family members. Bui, however, insisted that Vivian Le, Annie's mother, is the only family supporter of the suit. Vivian Le appeared alongside Tacopina on NBC's Today Show last Friday, where they both blamed Yale for creating a culture of sexual harassment that led to the Sept. 8, 2009 murder. In the interview, Le said that Yale needed to be taught a lesson in court so that it would protect its students in the future.

But in his email to the News, Bui said that most of Annie's family does not agree with the lawsuit.

I wish there's something more I can do to prevent my sister, Vivian Le from following through with this suit but I'm only an uncle who loves his niece as if she was my own child. Legally, there's nothing I myself can do to block my sister from going through with the suit. Annie's death, though tragic, no amount of compensation or justice will bring her back and for me anything less than that will not suffice. I miss my niece, and as I'm composing this email, I'm actually in California, visiting her. My sister, Tuyet Bui, her husband, Robert Nguyen, their children and relatives and my family and my mother visited Annie this past Saturday (it was a beautiful day).

I'm sorry that I can't offer anything more but I do wish that journalists would practice some editorial integrity and stop referencing the "family of Annie Le" or the "Le family" and just reference "the mother of Annie Le". The aforementioned reference implies that my whole family is in agreement with the suit and that is simply not the truth.

Cordially,

James D. Bui

Vivian Le and Tacopina did not respond to requests for comment.

kattrby 8 months, 2 weeks ago

Again, I admire James Bui. He's in a very tough spot - family politics are never easy, he has resisted a lot of pressure, but he has always stuck very firmly to the truth, to what matters.

DucNguyen 8 months, 2 weeks ago

Vivian Le is a disgrace to her family. She did not raise her own daughter yet feels the need to file a lawsuit against Yale. She is a selfish woman looking to profit from her biological daughter's death. Will making money off of Yale mean that her biological daughter died for something? It is not a surprise that Vivian's sister and her husband who raised Annie have said nothing (besides denying they would sue Yale last year). It is not a surprise Vivian's brother has spoken out against her. Vivian Le is a stain not just upon her family but on Vietnamese mothers.

kattrby 8 months, 2 weeks ago

I applaud you for joining James Bui in speaking out

joey00 8 months, 2 weeks ago

Some of these anti Annie le lawsuit folks are nothing but Yale's Corporation Counsel.The family is not here posting.I believe the family does have a good lawssuit,which can be settle by dealing with criminal employees,stop claiming one cannot do anything about leaving workplace w/o permission or hitting a timecard etc...Too many i times i witnessed kids in Yale trucks and about old campus threatening and intimidating people - then u can see them in Yale uniforms,bragging about their threats and rewarded for them. - i ignored them as they appeared retarded and too small for one to take their threats seriously , but maybe that's what happens as they need to prove themselves.

kattrby 8 months, 2 weeks ago

You may or may not believe me, but in no way am I any kind of stooge for Yale, and nor are others, or the family members who have spoken up. It is not the Annie Le suit, it is not the family suit, it is the Vivian Le suit. flying the false colours of an estate suit.

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Uncle of Le GRD '13 does not support suit