He’s been christened “Pants man”, he’s had vilification heaped on him, and may even lose his job, but still he battles on. He’s Washington judge Roy Pearson who’s been suing Custom Cleaners, owned by Korean immigrants Ki, Jin and Soo Chung, for rather a large sum of money for allegedly losing his trousers. He clearly has a good acting coach:
The D.C. judge who sued his dry cleaners for $65 million in damages broke down in tears yesterday while testifying about the emotional pain of losing his suit pants.
reports the Wall Street Journal Law Blog on June 14.
Only in America.
Read on in the articles below for the full story.
Links:
- Korean immigrants sued for $67 million for missing pants? WTF?: Marmot’s Hole, 4 May 2007, with the usual lively comments thread.
- Court Rules for Cleaners In $54 Million Pants Suit: Washington Post, 26 June 2007, with video
- First, Pants Man Loses Case. Next, His Job: Washington Post blog, 2 August 2007
- Couldn’t Have Happened to a More Deserving Asshole, But…: Marmot’s Hole, 4 August 2007
- Judge who sued dry cleaners for $54 million plans appeal: Washington Post, 14 August 2007, with video
- Coverage in the WSJ Law Blog:
- Judge Sues Dry Cleaners for $65 Million, 26 April
He’s asking for $65,462,500. The alteration work on his pants cost $10.50. Pearson reportedly says he deserves the money for litigation costs, for “mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort,” for the value of his time spent on the lawsuit, and for a replacement suit, according to court papers. The best detail: He’s asking the cleaners to pay him $15,000 for leasing a car every weekend for 10 years. Why? Because he must find another cleaner and since he doesn’t have a car, he says he has to rent one to get his clothes cleaned.
How did he get to $65 million? D.C.’s consumer protection law provides for damages of $1,500 per violation per day. So he computed 12 violations over 1,200 days times three defendants. In the words of WaPo columnist Marc Fisher, “A pant leg here, a pant leg there, and soon, you’re talking $65 million.”
Chris Manning, attorney for Custom Cleaners, told the DCist that the case was, “possibly the most amazing example of frivolous and ridiculous litigation.”
A major point of legal contention: At the time it lost his pants, Custom Cleaners had two signs on its walls: “Satisfaction Guaranteed” and “Same Day Service.” The judge says he relied on these signs. According to the story, the Chungs have since removed the signs.
- Judge Sues Dry Cleaners for $65 Million & Readers Respond, 30 April
- Judge Sues Dry Cleaners for $54 Million, 6 June, explaining the difference between the $54 million and the original $65 / $67 million
- Judge Who Sued Dry Cleaners for Millions Cries in Court, 13 June
- A Judge’s $54 Million Lawsuit Against Dry Cleaners, Day 2, 14 June
- Pants-Suit Judge Could Lose Shirt (Or At Least His Job), 3 August
- As The Days of Summer Wane . . . The Pants Suit Marches On, 15 August
- and much more besides
- Judge Sues Dry Cleaners for $65 Million, 26 April
- Laundry in missing pants case closes shop, Marmot’s Hole, 20 September
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