Frequently Asked QuestionsThe following frequently asked questions cover broad interest about the Sherry Chen Legal Defense Fund and the civil lawsuit filed on January 18, 2019. They are not intended to be exhaustive. If there are additional questions, please send them to [email protected].
(updated 2019/03/31) |
常见问题以下常见问题涵盖陈霞芬法律维权基金会的广泛运作和有关于2019年1月18日陈霞芬提出的诉讼的信息。它们并非旨在详尽无遗。如果您有其他问题，请发电邮至 [email protected]。
(最近更新 2019/03/31) |
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Q. What is the legal basis for the lawsuit?
A. Sherry Chen alleges the government of malicious prosecution and false arrest under the Federal Tort Claims Act (See Rights and Resources for description of FTCA). |
问：这个案子的依据是什么？
答：依据《联邦侵权赔偿法》（Federal Tort Claims Act，FTCA），陈霞芬认为美国政府对她恶意起诉（malicious prosecution）、错误逮捕（false arrest）。关于FTCA，请参见 Rights and Resources。 |
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Q. Where is the lawsuit filed?
A. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (See Rights and Resources about the U.S. judicial system). |
问：这个案子在哪个法院提起诉讼？
答：在俄亥俄南区的美国地区法院（U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio）。有关美国的法院系统，请参见Rights and Resources。 |
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Q. Who are the lawyers for the Sherry Chen case?
A. Michele Young is the Trial Attorney. She and Peter Toren are co-counsels representing Sherry Chen in the FTCA case. (See Legal Counsels for their biographies) |
问：陈霞芬案的律师是谁？
答：Michele Young 作为审判律师（Trial Lawyer），Peter Toren作为共同律师（Co-counsel），一起代表陈霞芬提起联邦侵权赔偿（FTCA）诉讼。律师的简介可见 Legal Counsels。 |
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Q. Didn't Sherry already win her case?
A. Yes, not once but twice. Her first win was when the government dismissed the criminal charges. In her recent case challenging her termination of employment, a judge concluded Sherry to be a victim of "gross injustice" and ordered Sherry’s reinstatement. The government denies justice for Sherry by appealing that decision to the Merit Systems Protection Board, which has lacked a quorum to rule on appeals since January 2017. (See MSPB Decision) |
问：陈霞芬不是已经赢了她的案子了吗？
答：对，她不但赢了，还赢了两次。第一场胜利是政府自动撤消刑事提控。在最近一次的錯误解雇案子上，联邦法官判决她赢了政府，说她是 “严重不公正”的受害者，並指令国家气象局将陈霞芬回返工作岗位。然而，政府却提出向联邦考绩委员会（Merit Systems Protection Board, MSPB）上诉，不给陈霞芬公道。联邦考绩委员会自2017年1月以来，由于法官人数不足法定人数，没法审理此案。您可以点 MSPB Decision 参阅陈霞芬所赢得的联邦考绩委员会的案子的详细资料。 |
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Q. Sherry must have done something wrong, didn't she?
A. Sherry Chen is a loyal, innocent American citizen. She has proved her innocence twice based on facts and evidence, and yet she is still denied justice and fairness to return to her work. (See About Sherry about Sherry Chen's 6-year ordeal) |
问：陈霞芬一定做错了什么，不是吗？
答：陈霞芬是一名忠实、无辜的美国公民。在确凿的事实和证据的支持下，她先后两次被证明是无辜的。然而，政府却不还她公道，不让她回去工作。关于陈霞芬在过去6年里的不幸遭遇，请参见 About Sherry。 |
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Q. Where can I find more information about the case?
A. The case tracking number is 1:19-cv-00045-TSB. Case files are public records. You can create a free account in Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) to view or download documents. You should be aware about potential expenses in viewing or downloading files in PACER. (See Rights and Resources about PACER) |
问：如何了解陈霞芬近期案子的详情？
答：这个案子的卷宗号是1:19-cv-00045-TSB。在美国，已经提交到法院的案件材料都是公开信息，您可以在政府网站PACER（法院电子档案公众查询系统）上注册一个免费账号查阅、下载相关的资料。请注意，在PACER上下载资料超出一定的限额后会收费。关于PACER，请参阅 Rights and Resources。 |
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Q. Your message in Chinese is not accurate, why don't you say it [this way] instead?
A. Chinese translation can sometimes be challenging. Please refer to the original version in English for more accurate message. |
问：你们的中文资料不准确，为什么不这样（XXX）讲？
答：中文翻译要做到信、雅、达很有挑战性。请以英文原文为准。 |
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Q. Why do you not use more Chinese translation in your messaging?
A. We try our best to provide good quality Chinese translations. We are a small group of volunteers limited by our time and availability and can use as much help as possible. |
问：你们为什么不多发些中文资料呢？
答：我们是一群热心支持陈霞芬的社区义工，人手不多，会尽最大努力提供高质量的中文资料。如果您愿意帮助，请联系我们。 |
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Q. What [a specific person] did seems normal. She/He did not do anything wrong, did she/he?
A. The matter is in litigation. The MSPB decision provides the basis for the allegation (See MSPB Decision). The news alert provides additional background descriptions in both English and Chinese (See 2019/01/22 News Alert). Your question will eventually be decided by the judge in the U.S. District Court. |
问：我觉得在陈霞芬案里，XXX做的实属正常啊，没做错什么。
答：这涉及到法律诉讼。联邦考绩委员会（MSPB）法官的判决提供了依据。您问的具体问题可能最终只有联邦地区法院才能做出判断。请点 MSPB Decision 参阅陈霞芬所赢得的MSPB案子的详细资料。 |
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Q. Why do you decide to change legal counsels?
A. This is not a change, but an addition, of legal counsels. The new FTCA lawsuit differs from wrongful termination of employment in the MSPB case. Sherry and her superb labor law attorney Steve Simon will continue to work on the appeal by the Department of Commerce in the MSPB case. The new legal team of Michele Young and Peter Toren (See Legal Counsels) will lead the new lawsuit with their respective legal experience and expertise. |
问：你们为什么要换律师呢？
答：不是换律师，而是律师队伍更加壮大。新的案子是依据《联邦侵权赔偿法》（Federal Tort Claims Act，FTCA），告美国政府对陈霞芬恶意起诉（malicious prosecution）、错误逮捕（false arrest）。关于FTCA，请参阅 Rights and Resources。新的案子不同于陈霞芬在联邦考绩委员会（MSPB）提出的错误解雇（wrongful termination of employment ）的上诉案子；陈霞芬已经在优秀律师Steve Simon 的协助下赢了 MSPB 的案子。Steve将继续代理陈霞芬，处理商务部在 MSPB 的上诉。由 Michele Young 和 Peter Toren 组成的新的律师团队（参见Legal Counsels）在FTCA方面有经验和专长，将代表陈霞芬处理有关FTCA的诉讼。 |
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Q. Is there a short version of the Sherry Chen story?
A. The Sherry Chen Legal Defense Fund website provides a long version and a short version of Sherry Chen's 6-year ordeal. The long version can be found in About Sherry. The short version is located at Timeline. |
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Q. How can I keep up with the developments? How can I help?
A. This Sherry Chen Legal Defense Fund website (See Home) will provide continuing coverage of background and the latest developments. Sign up for occasional email updates and/or join a WeChat support group (See The Fund), which also provides suggestions on how you can help. |
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Q. There is confusion about the MSPB decison being 135 pages or 120 pages long. Which is it?
A. The MSPB decision is 135 page long and the judge's opinion is 120 pages long. The entire 135-page MSPB decision is posted by the Fund on the MSPB Decision, where there are a lot of details about Sherry's ordeal, and the actions of various government officials and agents. |
问：联邦考绩委员会（MSPB）的判决到底是135页，还是120页？
答：整个判决书是135页，其中联邦法官的判决意见是120页。MSPB判决书全文可以在基金会网站的MSPB Decision页下载。判决书里有大量关于陈霞芬的遭遇、在处理她的案子过程中几个政府官员、特工的行为。 |
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Q. What does it mean when Sherry wins her lawsuit?
A. When Sherry wins her civil lawsuit, it will mean that the government is held accountable for its abuse and misuse of authority. We hope that the government will also recognize that its racial profiling policy and practices against innocent Chinese American scientists are legally and morally wrong. The United States is still a nation ruled by law. Upon winning the lawsuit, Sherry Chen will donate portion of the damage awards to the community and other victims of racial profiling. |
问：陈霞芬胜诉的意义是什么？
答：如果陈霞芬的民事诉讼胜诉，这将意味着政府对滥用及不当使用权力的行为要承担责任。我们同时也希望政府将会认识到无论在法律上还是道德层面上，针对无辜华裔美国科学家的种族偏见政策与做法均是错误的。美国仍是一个法治国家。胜诉之后，陈霞芬会将部分赔偿捐赠给社群和其他遭受种族偏见的受害人。 |
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Q. What is the cost of Sherry Chen’s civil lawsuit?
A. There is wide variation in the estimated cost of a civil lawsuit because the process is complex and dependent on many factors. For example, a lawsuit may be dismissed or settled early or go through a lengthy and contentious trial. The flowchart to the right provides a simplified description of what will happen next in Sherry Chen’s lawsuit. Sherry Chen's legal team will work on a contingency basis, meaning there is no direct legal fees. However, there will be legal costs from filing the case to discovery and the use of expert witnesses. If the lawsuit runs the full course, the most recent estimate of legal cost is up to $180,000 with a wide margin of error and the costs will likely be spread over time. |
Download a copy of this flowchart
下载这份诉讼流程的副本
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问：陈霞芬的民事诉讼费用是多少？
答：由于民事诉讼过程复杂且受多种因素的制约，其成本的变化范围很大。一项诉讼可能会被驳回，也可能会被提前解决，或者进入漫长而有争议的审判程序。 左边的图简单的描述了陈霞芬的民事诉讼案接下来的流程。 陈霞芬法律团队不直接按律师花费的时间收取法律费用，而是在官司赢了之后按最终判决金额的百分比作为服务费。不过，立案、取证、以及征用专家证人等产生的费用需要立即支付。 我们最新的估计是，如果这项诉讼一直进行到底，在考略了较大的可能出现的预估误差的情况下，最终的费用应该不高于18万美元。这些花费将会在诉讼期间平摊开来。 | ||||||
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Q: How does the Sherry Chen Legal Defense Fund operate?
A: The law firm Arent Fox LLP set up a Trust Agreement and established The Sherry Chen Legal Defense Fund in 2015. Under the Trust Agreement, a Trustee is appointed to receive donations and support Sherry Chen’s continuing fight to defend herself and seek fairness and justice. |
问：陈霞芬法律维权基金会是怎么运营的？
答：2015年，Arent Fox LLP律师事务所在陈霞芬的要求下起草了托管协议，并安排她在履行了相关法律程序后成立陈霞芬法律维权基金会。按照托管协议，任命了基金会的托管人，以接受捐款，支持陈霞芬为了给自己维权、寻求公平正义的抗争。 |
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Q: How does the Fund manage its finances?
A: Revenues for The Fund have been donations and interest earned from bank accounts. Donations may be made by check or online. No cash is accepted for its general lack of a reliable audit trail. Donations represent 99.99% of the Fund’s revenue to date. Expenses for The Fund have been (a) legal fees such as billable attorney hours, (b) pass-through legal costs such as travel and transcript costs, and (c) service costs such as website hosting services and PayPal fees. Since its creation in 2015 through the end of 2018, legal fees covered 89.5% of the Fund’s expenses, legal costs 8.2%, and service costs 2.2% (please note that PayPal charges a 3.2% fee for a $100 donation. The PayPal rate varies by donation amount). Total may not add up to 100% due to rounding. The Trustee, Treasurer, and Chief Information Officer for The Fund are volunteers; they do not receive salary or any form of compensation for their services. |
问：陈霞芬法律维权基金会的财务是如何管理的？
答：基金会的收入来源包括捐款和银行利息。所有的捐款都来自支持者寄支票或者网上捐款。基金会不接受现金捐款，因为现金无法有效地审核。从成立至今，基金会99.99%的收入都来自捐款。 基金会的费用包括法律诉讼费用和运营费用。法律诉讼费用包括(a)律师费、(b) 法律费用----例如律师为了取证、诉讼产生的差旅费用和调用、提交法院文件产生的费用，转而要求基金会报销的、(c) 运营费用，包括网站维护费用、Paypal手续费。自2015年成立以来到2018年底，基金会的费用中89.5%是律师费用，8.2%是法律费用，2.2%是运营费用（PayPal对每一笔$100的捐款受3.2%的手续费）。由于四舍五入的关系，这几个百分比加起来可能不等于100%。 基金会的托管人、财务长和首席信息官都是义工，没有工资，也不接受任何形式的报酬。 |
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Q: Sherry Chen’s case is a symbol for the Chinese American community. How is the Fund accountable to the donors for its finances?
A. Integrity is a core value for the Sherry Chen Legal Defense Fund. Funds are expended only on legal fees and costs, plus a small percentage on necessary service costs. The Treasurer maintains a meticulous bookkeeping system to track and account for each financial transaction. In addition to strict internal controls, the Fund will consider external audits subject to the following conditions:
Please contact the Trustee at [email protected] for additional information. |
问：陈霞芬的案子是美国华裔社区的一个标志性的事件。基金会怎么向捐款支持者保证它对财务负责？
答：基金会的核心价值是廉正。基金会的资金只用于诉讼费用费用和很低的运营费用。基金会的财务维护了一套严谨的记账系统，记录了每一笔财务交易。除了严格的内部财务控制以外，基金会在满足下列条件的基础上，愿意接受外部审计：
如果您需要了解更多信息，请发电邮给基金会托管人：[email protected]。 |
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Q: Will the Fund consider additional lawsuits?
A: The short answer is yes. We would leave no stone unturned and hold responsible parties accountable. Sherry Chen has had and continues to have excellent lawyers through her criminal, employment, and the current FTCA cases. They excel at what they do and they have done great work by winning all the cases so far. However, litigation is costly in the U.S. It requires understanding of how the U.S. government works. A lawsuit must have a solid legal basis, a reasonable chance of winning, sufficient facts and evidence, and dedicated funding of at least six figures to support the proceedings, even if there are well-qualified, experienced and reputable attorneys who would take a case on a pro bono basis. Finally, a written complaint, such as this one for the current FTCA lawsuit, must be filed to just begin the process. To take action short of meeting these conditions may negatively impact Sherry Chen’s current cases. Please contact the Trustee at [email protected] for additional information. |
问：基金会考虑提起更多法律诉讼吗？
答：是的，我们不会放过任何一个机会，让那些造成陈霞芬冤案的肇事者承担责任。 陈霞芬从一开始就有非常优秀的律师代理她的案子，包括她的刑事诉讼案件、劳工行政诉讼案件，和今年的FTCA民事诉讼案件。她的律师团队在他们各自的领域都很出色，并且迄今为止赢了刑事诉讼案件、劳工行政诉讼案件。 然而，打官司在美国很昂贵，并且需要明白美国的政府部门是如何工作的。一项法律诉讼必须有坚实的法律基础，有确实可行的获胜几率，有充分的事实和证据支持，和超过六位数的专用资金以支付各项程序的费用----即使找到合适的、有经验和可信的律师的帮助，而且他们愿意无偿代理。最后，必须向法院提交书面的起诉书才能启动法律诉讼程序，就像这次的FTCA官司一样。 如果未经充分的准备以满足上述条件，而草率行动，可能会给当前正在进行的法律诉讼带来负面影响。如果您需要更多信息，请通过电子邮件和基金会的托管人联系：[email protected]。 |
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Q. Why don’t you ask CAPAC for help?
A. CAPAC stands for Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Less than 2 weeks after the New York Times reported the Sherry Chen story, CAPAC convened a press conference on Capitol Hill on May 21, 2015 to express its concerns about Sherry’s case and racial profiling. On the same day, Professor Xiaoxing Xi was arrested and accused of spying for China. His case was also dismissed later that year. CAPAC has maintained its unwavering support for Sherry Chen and other profiling victims and stayed in regular contact with concerned community organizations over the past four years. We suggest you contact CAPAC executive director Krystal Ka’ai directly to express your concerns about Sherry’s case and racial profiling in general. Community voices help to strengthen CAPAC’s position in Congress. Please visit apajustice.org for additional information. Each U.S. citizen is represented by two senators (https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm) and one representative (https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative) in Congress. They are public officials expecting to hear from their constituents about their concerns. You can also help by telling Sherry’s story to your senator and representative, family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues, as well as making a donation. |
问：为什么你们不找国会亚太议员团（CAPAC）帮忙呢？
答：CAPAC的全称是Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus。实际上，在2015年5月21日，纽约时报刊登了陈霞芬的故事后不到两周，CAPAC就在国会山召开了新闻发布会，对陈霞芬案和其中可能涉及的种族定型的表示关切。在同一天，郗小星教授被以为中国作间谍的名义逮捕；正如陈霞芬的案子于2015年3月份被政府撤销，郗小星的在2015年晚些时候也被政府撤销。 在过去四年里，CAPAC一直坚定不移地支持陈霞芬和其他遭到种族定型的受害人，并且与关注此事的社区团体保持经常性的联系。如果您对陈霞芬的案子、以及针对亚裔的种族定型有什么顾虑，我们建议您直接与CAPAC的执行总监Krystal Ka’ai联系。社区的声音有助于加强CAPAC在国会的地位。关于这方面的更多信息，您可以参见apajustice.org网站。 在美国国会里面，每一位美国公民都有两名联邦参议员(https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm)、和一名联邦众议员(https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative)代表。他们作为民选官员，期望听到他们的选民的心声、顾虑。您可以通过多种手段帮助陈霞芬，包括向您的联邦参议员和众议员、家人、朋友、邻居、同事讲陈霞芬的故事，和捐款支持。 |
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Q. How does a lawsuit work? What are the basic steps in the civil litigation process?
A. The Sherry Chen Legal Defense Fund does not offer legal advice or assistance. In addition to the flowchart given above, there are many publicly available sources to answer this question. One example is provided by Stoel Rives LLP (no relation to the Fund) at https://www.stoel.com/how-does-a-lawsuit-work-basic-steps-in. |
问：法律诉讼是怎样进行的？民事诉讼都有哪些基本步骤？
答：陈霞芬法律维权基金会不提供法律方面的建议或者援助。除了本页其他问答里提供的流程图之外，有大量的公众信息来源可以帮您找到这个问题的答案。Stoel Rives LLP律师事务所（和基金会没有任何关系）的网站上有一个例子：https://www.stoel.com/how-does-a-lawsuit-work-basic-steps-in。 |
