San Francisco Chinatown’s Chinese Chamber of Commerce former employee Judy Lee has recently filed a lawsuit against the chamber and nine leaders, accusing them of years of sexual harassment and assault. Lee alleges that after reporting the issues to the chamber, she was retaliated against and fired in July, seeking at least $1 million in compensation.
Lee was hired as the project director for the chamber in April 2025 after volunteering for many years. The lawsuit claims that there was a hostile work environment within the chamber, with some older male leaders making unwelcome advances and sexual actions towards her and other young women, which were not promptly addressed by management.
The lawsuit lists several allegations, including chamber leaders making inappropriate physical contact with Lee during community dinners, requesting her to bring young female friends, female real estate professionals, or beauty pageant contestants to chamber events. It also alleges that in May 2024, during a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a director broke into Lee’s locked hotel room and sexually assaulted her. Lee’s lawyer did not disclose the identity of the involved director.
The lawsuit further states that in 2025, after Lee was hired as a full-time project director, a man invited her to Napa Resort under the pretext of celebrating her hiring and claimed she owed him a favor. Lee stated she didn’t refuse at the time, fearing it might affect her job opportunities, only to find upon arrival that he had booked only one room, leading her to call a cab back to San Francisco.
In an interview with the media, Lee expressed that she decided to speak out about her experiences in hopes of “telling what has happened to me over the past 10 years.” She mentioned that she had previously raised concerns to the chamber leadership but was not taken seriously.
It was reported that in June, over ten directors supporting Lee threatened to resign, demanding the removal of then-President Donald Luu. These directors cited the sexual assault and harassment accusations made by Lee through her lawyer.
In July, Luu filed a defamation lawsuit against Lee, claiming the allegations caused him “severe emotional distress and public embarrassment” and denied all accusations against himself. The lawsuit mentioned that he had agreed to pay Lee a sum of money under a confidential settlement agreement due to reputational damage but later accused Lee of violating the confidentiality agreement.
Luu subsequently resigned from his position as chamber president and decided not to stay on the board in July. However, Lee’s current lawsuit does not list Luu as a defendant.
In April this year, Lee installed surveillance cameras in her work area out of concern for her personal belongings and safety. The cameras were later discovered by other employees, leading three of them to file a separate lawsuit in June against the chamber for failing to investigate timely and protect employee privacy. Lee’s lawsuit alleges that the chamber later threatened to investigate her regarding the camera incident and launched a “smear campaign” against her, ultimately resulting in her termination on July 22nd.
Regarding the controversy, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce released a statement in July stating their continued commitment to serving the Chinese and San Francisco communities, with preparations for the main annual events ongoing. However, the statement did not directly address the related lawsuits at that time.
Lee stated that she decided to file the lawsuit to prevent others from experiencing similar situations, calling such a culture “unacceptable” and believing that changes are needed in the chamber leadership.
Established in 1917, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce is responsible for organizing some of Chinatown’s most significant events, including the annual parade, the Miss Chinatown USA pageant, and the Chinese New Year flower exhibition.
Luu was elected as chamber president in 2022 and was a protégé of the late Chinese Chamber of Commerce advisor Rose Pak.