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Ryan Olohan, 48, accused Google of firing him after he refused a top executive's alleged groping at a restaurant in December 2019. 

Olohan, a married father of seven from New Jersey, is seeking unspecified damages and has named both Google and Tiffany Miller as defendants, accusing them of discrimination, retaliation and fostering a hostile work environment. Miller, who is the director of Google’s programmatic media, allegedly rubbed Olohan’s abs, complimented his physique and told him his marriage lacked “spice,” according to court papers.

The incident allegedly occurred during a drunken company gathering at Fig & Olive on West 13th Street after Olohan was promoted to managing director of food, beverages and restaurants. He joined a new management team that included Miller in Google’s Manhattan offices. Olohan then reported the incident to Google’s human resources (HR) department the following week, but there was no further discussion or investigation into the incident.

Following the report, Olohan claimed that Miller began retaliating against him by criticizing him and reporting him to HR for “microaggressions.” The alleged retaliation then continued at other company events in December 2021 and April 2022 when Miller drunkenly berated Olohan in front of his colleagues. She also allegedly told Olohan that she knew he liked Asian women, referring to herself and his wife, who are both of Asian descent. 

• Christian Franz, a nurse of Filipino and Chinese heritage, was born in the Philippines and raised in New York City. In February 2021, Christian started the Friends of Franz Podcast to combat misinformation about medical fields and to normalize the humanization of medicine by inviting clinical experts to discuss their life journeys and experiences outside of work. His podcast has been streamed in 80 countries. 

• New Jersey honors history: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed a bill recognizing Jan. 30 as "Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution." Korematsu was a Japanese American civil rights activist who opposed the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. The bill, Assembly Joint Resolution 98, was sponsored by several New Jersey state assembly members and passed both the State Assembly and Senate in December 2022.

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• Thao’s timeline: Tou Thao, the Hmong American and former Minneapolis police officer, is facing charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. On Tuesday, the deadline for the final written arguments in Thao's case, his defense attorney argued that Thao is innocent and should be acquitted. Prosecutors, on the other hand, argued that Thao disregarded his training and showed no compassion during the incident. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill has 90 days to rule on Thao's guilt and make a decision based on the agreed-upon evidence from the previous trials.

• CBD censor: Hong Kong has banned CBD, or cannabidiol, as a "dangerous drug" with harsh penalties for its possession. This policy reflects a zero-tolerance stance on dangerous drugs in Hong Kong and mainland China, where CBD was banned in 2022. Possession of CBD can result in a fine of HKD $1 million ($128,000) and up to seven years in jail, while importing, exporting, or producing the substance can lead to a HKD $5 million ($638,000) fine and life in prison.

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• China’s cloning cows: Scientists from China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region have successfully cloned three Holstein Friesian cows to combat China's reliance on imported dairy cows. As China's middle-class population grows, demand for items like milk and various seeds is increasing, with China currently importing 70% of its dairy cow population from overseas. The cows were cloned using tissue from a Holstein Friesian super cow, which is known for its high milk production and can produce up to 36,000 pounds of milk a year. The project, led by Jin Yaping of Northwest A&F University, is expected to take several years and build a herd of over 1,000 super cows.

• Kids Choice Awards: Stars of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) descent are prominent nominees of this year’s Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards (KCAs). In the music categories, BLACKPINK are nominated for Favorite Global Music Star and Favorite Music Group, the latter category being shared with BTS. Other music nominees this year include Joji for Favorite Breakout Artist and Bella Poarch for Favorite Social Music Star. For Favorite Female Sports Star, Chloe Kim and Naomi Osaka are both nominated. Meanwhile, Olivia Rodrigo is nominated for Favorite Female TV Star (Kids) for “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.” Sandra Oh and Awkwafina are both nominated for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie (Female) – Oh for “Turning Red” and Awkwafina for “The Bad Guys.” There are even more, so check the full list! The KCAs will be held on Mar. 4 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT) at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. 

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• We Bridge K-pop: K-pop stars are leading the charge at the inaugural We Bridge Music Festival and Expo, a two-day music festival and three-day exposition celebrating Asian entertainment and culture. The festival will be held at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Michelob ULTRA Arena from April 21 to April 23 with support from The Grammy Museum and Infinite Prospects Entertainment, the latter of which helped coordinate BTS’ four-night “Permission to Dance on Stage” Vegas concert. K-pop boy group ENHYPEN will headline the festival. They will be joined by other K-pop acts, including rapper BE’O, solo artist Kang Daniel, girl groups fromis_9, Dreamcatcher and VIVIZ and boy groups CIX and ONEUS. Tickets and packages are available to purchase now.

• A couple in Iran have been sentenced to a decade in prison for their viral video dancing in the street. 
   
• Baseball star Shohei Ohtani has signed a deal with New Balance.  
   
• Hasan Minhaj will host this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards.
   
• Hong Kong acting legend Tony Leung has an account on Douyin.  
   
• A Japanese television network is very apologetic about their reporter chewing gum on air.  

GoFundMe Monterey Park: Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL), in partnership with The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF), Stop AAPI Hate, Gold House, Stand with Asian Americans and Chinatown Service Center, has organized a GoFundMe page for the benefit of the victims. As of this writing, the campaign has raised over $904,000. 

GoFundMe Half Moon Bay: The GoFundMe for the victims and surviving families of the Half Moon Bay Mass shooting. The funds are organized by several Bay Area organizations and others including Stop AAPI Hate, The Asian American Foundation, Hate Is A Virus, and Stand with Asian Americans. It has over $16,000 raised at the time of writing.  

GoFundMe for Tyre Nichols Memorial Fund: The memorial funds for Tyre Nichols. It has raised over 1 million at the time of writing. 

Mymy Nhan’s GoFundMe: Individual page for Mymy Nhan’s funeral funds. 

Xiujuan Yu’s GoFundMe: Individual page for Xiujuan Yu’s funeral funds.  

Ming Wei Ma’s GoFundMe: Individual page for Ming Wei Ma’s funeral funds. 

Memorial and resource center: A memorial honoring the lives lost and survivors has been established at Monterey Park City Hall located on 320 W. Newmark Avenue. A resource center is open at the Langley Senior Citizen Center in Monterey Park.  

Asian Mental Health Collective: A list of mental health and other great resources. 

Yellow Chair Collective Therapy Sessions: Yellow Chair Collective are offering six free trauma-informed therapy sessions available in English, Mandarin Chinese and Korean.