In a headline that might come as a surprise for many, a Lowell, Massachusetts woman will be involved in mediation for a lawsuit involving Buddhists monks and allegations of sex tape production and distribution.  Maya Men filed the lawsuit against five Buddhist monks from a temple in North Chelmsford, claiming that the men all played a role in the case.  However, the particular tape in question was of Men and Venerable Nhem Kimteng, a monk who assisted her community drive in raising money to build a $10 million temple in Lowell.  

James Boumil, the attorney representing Men in the case, requested that mediation transpire before the case went to court.  Judge Christine McEvoy, who is overseeing the case, agreed with the suggestion and has ordered mediation before a further trial date is set.  According to Boumil, "The mediation program in Lowell is excellent, and I hope mediation will help all the parties in this case resolve their differences.”

According to Men, although the sexual interaction was consensual, the taping and subsequent distribution of the video was not.  She asserts that she did not give her permission for either to occur and in such, has suffered emotional distress due to the actions of the monks who allegedly played a part.   

The other defendants in the case, two of which have requested that the case be dismissed, include another Buddhist monk, Venerable Cheng Leang; Sam Meas, a former executive committee member for the Pawtucketville temple; Sovann Khon; Denys Meung; and Chour Veng Ly.