Carlos Sanchez, a street vendor from San Jose, has filed a lawsuit against an individual and a business entity following a harrowing incident that left him physically and emotionally scarred. The complaint was lodged by Sanchez in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, on January 31, 2025, targeting Kintex Ho and Intex Auto Parts as defendants.
The legal action stems from events that transpired on February 17, 2023. According to the filing, Sanchez was vending on the 1400 Block of Old Bayshore Highway when he became the victim of an unprovoked attack by Kintex Ho. The complaint details how Ho allegedly threatened Sanchez verbally before escalating to physical violence by destroying his property with a baseball bat and attempting to carjack his vehicle. This altercation culminated in Ho assaulting Sanchez directly. Adding insult to injury, Intex Auto Parts reportedly exacerbated the situation by posting a racially charged statement on their Facebook page later that day. The post praised actions against street vendors using derogatory language that underscored racial tensions.
Sanchez's lawsuit accuses Ho and Intex Auto Parts of multiple offenses including assault, violation of civil rights under California Civil Code § 52.1 (Tom Bane Civil Rights Act), intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence. "No reasonable person would threaten and attack an innocent street vendor," reads one part of the complaint emphasizing the severity of Ho's actions. Furthermore, it claims that these acts were motivated by racial bias as evidenced by Ho's use of terms like "illegal" and "criminal" during the confrontation.
The plaintiff seeks compensatory damages for property destruction and income loss alongside non-economic damages for mental anguish suffered due to this ordeal. Additionally, Sanchez is pursuing punitive damages aimed at penalizing the defendants' malicious conduct under Civil Code § 3294. He also demands treble damages under Civil Code Section 52 for violations related to civil rights infringements.
Representing Carlos Sanchez is attorney Christian Contreras from the Law Offices of Christian Contreras based in Los Angeles. The case has been assigned Case No.: 25CV457955 with Judge C. Roman reviewing it.