Sue the pants right off ya!

[Gnnr]

ABC News
The $67 Million Pants
Washington, D.C., Lawyer Sues Dry Cleaners for Lost Trousers
By JIM AVILA, CHRIS FRANCESCANI & MARY HARRIS
ABC News Law & Justice Unit

May 2, 2007 —

EDITOR'S NOTE: Hundreds of readers have responded to our story about the lawsuit against the owners of Custom Cleaners in Washington D.C. And so many more have contacted an attorney for the cleaners that a legal defense fund is being set up to coordinate donations. Chris Manning, the attorney for the cleaners, told ABC News that he and his clients are grateful for the outpouring of support. A defense fund has been established at www.customcleanersdefensefund.com, Manning said.

Is somebody getting taken to the cleaners?

A $10 dry cleaning bill for a pair of trousers has ballooned into a $67 million civil lawsuit.

Plaintiff Roy Pearson, a judge in Washington, D.C., says in court papers that he's been through the ringer over a lost pair of prized pants he wanted to wear on his first day on the bench.

He says in court papers that he has endured "mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort."

He says he was unable to wear that favorite suit on his first day of work.

He's suing for 10 years of weekend car rentals so he can transport his dry cleaning to another store.

The lawsuit is based in large part on Pearson's seemingly pained admission that he was taken in by the oldest and most insidious marketing tool in the dry cleaning industry arsenal.

"Satisfaction Guaranteed."

Pearson did not return numerous calls from ABC News for comment.

It's the kind of lawsuit that makes liability reform advocates' temples throb.

"People in America are now scared of each other," legal expert Philip Howard told ABC News' Law & Justice Unit. "That's why teachers won't put an arm around a crying child, and doctors order unnecessary tests, and ministers won't meet with parishioners. It's a distrust of justice and it's changing our culture."

The civil trial, set for June, has the scope of a John Grisham courtroom thriller and the societal importance of a traffic ticket.

Pearson plans to call 63 witnesses.

Defending themselves against the suit -- for two years running -- are Korean immigrants Jin and Soo Chung and their son, who own Custom Cleaners and two other dry cleaning shops in the Fort Lincoln section of Washington, D.C.

The ABC News Law & Justice Unit has calculated that for $67 million Pearson could buy 84,115 new pairs of pants at the $800 value he placed on the missing trousers in court documents. If you stacked those pants up, they would be taller than eight Mount Everests. If you laid them side by side, they would stretch for 48 miles.

Fort Lincoln neighbors are enjoying what they consider the comedy of it all.

"The whole city is aware of this lawsuit," said Bob King, who represents Fort Lincoln on the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. "Everybody's laughing about it."

Everybody except the Chungs, who have spent thousands of dollars defending themselves against Pearson's lawsuit.

"It's not humorous, not funny and nobody would have thought that something like this would have happened," Soo Chung told ABC News through an interpreter.

Her husband agreed.

"It's affecting us first of all financially, because of all the lawyers' fees," Jin Chung said. "For two years, we've been paying lawyer fees. & We've gotten bad credit as well, and secondly, it's been difficult mentally and physically because of the level of stress."

Later, Soo Chung broke down in tears.

"I would have never thought it would have dragged on this long," she told ABC News. "I don't want to live here anymore. It's been so difficult. I just want to go home, go back to Korea."

"I've been in the dry cleaning business for 14 years, but this has never ever happened before. If anything happened to our customers' clothing, we would always compensate them accordingly and fairly," Jin Chung said through a translator.

The problems date back to 2002.

Pearson says in court papers that he took a pair of pants into Custom Cleaners in Fort Lincoln that year, and the pants were lost.

So Jin and Soo Chung gave Pearson a $150 check for a new pair of pants.

Three years later, Pearson says he returned to Custom Cleaners and -- like some real-life "Groundhog Day" nightmare -- his trousers went missing.

Again.

It was May 2005 and Pearson was about to begin his new job as an administrative judge. Naturally, he wanted to wear a nice outfit to his first day of work. He said in court papers that he tried on five Hickey Freeman suits from his closet, but found them all to be "too tight," according to the Washington Post.

He brought one pair in for alterations and they went missing -- gray trousers with what Pearson described in court papers as blue and red stripes on them.

First, Pearson demanded $1,150 for a new suit. Lawyers were hired, legal wrangling ensued and eventually the Chungs offered Pearson $3,000 in compensation.

No dice.

Then they offered him $4,600.

No dice.

Finally, they offered $12,000 for the missing gray trousers with the red and blue stripes.

Pearson said no.

With neither satisfaction nor his prized gray pants, Pearson upped the ante considerably.

The judge went to the lawbooks. Citing the District of Columbia's consumer protection laws, he claims he is entitled to $1,500 per violation.

Per day.

What follows is the beginning of thousands of pages of legal documents and correspondence that, two years later, have led to a massive civil lawsuit in the amount of $67 million.

According to court papers, here's how Pearson calculates the damages and legal fees:

He believes he is entitled to $1,500 for each violation, each day during which the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign and another sign promising "Same Day Service" was up in the store -- more than 1,200 days.

And he's multiplying each violation by three because he's suing Jin and Soo Chung and their son.

He also wants $500,000 in emotional damages and $542, 500 in legal fees, even though he is representing himself in court.

He wants $15,000 for 10 years' worth of weekend car rentals as well.

After enlisting neighbors and fellow customers, he sought to expand the case into a class action suit, but was denied, angrily, by District of Columbia Civil Judge Neal Kravitz.

"The Court has significant concerns that the plaintiff is acting in bad faith and with an intent to delay the proceedings," the judge wrote in court papers. "Indeed, it is difficult to draw any other conclusion, given the plaintiff's lengthy delay in seeking to expand the scope of the case, the breathtaking magnitude of the expansion he seeks, his failure to present any evidence in support of the thousands of claims he says he wishes to add, and his misrepresentation concerning the scope of his first amended complaint."

The case will now be heard by another judge in June. Both Kravitz and the new judge declined to comment on the case to ABC News.

Ironically, less than a week after Pearson dropped off the missing trousers in 2005, Soo Chung found them, she says. She tried to return them to Pearson but he said they were the wrong pants.

The Chungs say they are certain they have located the missing trousers.

"So these are the missing pants, huh?" Avila asked the Chungs' attorney, Chris Manning.

"These are," Manning said, holding up a flimsy pair of gray trousers.

Manning's argument is based on both the receipt and the telltale "three belt loop situation," as he explains it.

"When the pants were brought in, Mrs. Chung noticed the three belt loop situation and in finding them realized that they were Mr. Pearson's pants based on that."

He also said the receipt tag on the pants "exactly matches the receipt that Mr. Pearson has."

Manning is angry with Pearson, saying the judge has terrorized the Chungs for spite.

"They came to the United States hoping for the American dream," Manning said, "and Roy Pearson has made it a nightmare."

Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures

Thats kind of a lot to ask for just for pants, and the cleaners has the pants!

[Matej]

What a bureaucratic Nazi, I feel really sorry for the Chungs.

[Farzam]

People like that need to seriously DIE.
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE FUCKING DIE A HORRIBLE, PAINFUL DEATH.
My dad owns a dry cleaners...if this happened to him, you dunno what i'd do.
That judge needs to go to a mental institution.

[Jon Michael]

It sounds like he is just a racist, using his position to torment these poor people. He's way too proud to lose against "these people".

I've run into people like him before, they're in a Korean owned little store and they hassle the person at the counter because they accidentally short change him by like 5 cents. And, eventually they start yelling and making fun of the way they talk. Never mind the person is doing their damndest to learn the language and business so they can both make a living in this country, and give the very racist the things he needs for a convenient life.

I hope when the judge throws this out of court, that the Chungs are able to counter sue. If I was the press I would give him so much bad coverage, that he'd lose all face in DC. I wouldn't want him judging any of my cases.

[Howard92884]

Only in America..........

[s13gold]

i feel bad for the owner....it probably was a mistake but his customer service couldve been bettter.

[Farzam]

^
My dad owns a cleaners...

People try to rip you off all the time. They say my dad made oil stains on their clothes even though clothes don't even get CLOSE to oil, they try and say their clothes shrank, they try and say shit isn't theirs, etc.

And IF he loses something, it's a bitch and a half trying to figure out how much to pay. They could say their Mossimo shirt is Gucci, ya know?

So service may not be as rapid as you want, but usually it's the best it can be.

[eastcoastS14]

wow shit like this makes me fucking sick to my stomach....I agree with Howard, only in America. I think theres a special place in hell for people like this guy. The guys a judge so probably makes a good living and could afford to buy another suit anyway....but no he tries to get over on some korean immigrants who are just trying to make a living, they barely speak english and this guys gotta use every loophole in the law to scam these people...there really is no limit to some people's greed, fucking emotional distress over lost pants give me a break...this guy is the fucking definition of an asshole...id like to key his car and shit on his lawn

luckily this case will get thrown out of court in the end....and if the chungs are smart theyll counter sue the shit out of this guy

[eastcoastS14]

look at them....the faces of true criminals....thank god for the US justice system or else people like this would be able to run free, stealing pants at will....keep an eye on your clothes line...you never know if you could be next

Fuck that racist judge. I'de have him murdered.

[exitspeed]

What a POS MF SOB!!!!!!!

I can't think of anything else. This angers me beyond belief. If I had his address I'd take a trip to DC just to throw a rock through his window.

He should be ashamed of himself. How someone like him looks in the mirror everyday is beyond me.

[ManoNegra]

Wow, and this guy is a judge? I mean WTF!? He should be disbarred and counter-sued for every single penny to his name. What a f**ken douche.
This would be a perfect plot for a South Park episode.

[azndoc]

I just don't understand why someone who is a judge cannot make a rationalized decision himself in seeing that this will just get dragged on and the poor couple has already offered him up to $12,000 and that the amount should be enough already. That bastard so burn slow in hell.

Did you know America has 80% of the world's lawyers.

[myriad]

Originally Posted by eastcoastS14

look at them....the faces of true criminals....thank god for the US justice system or else people like this would be able to run free, stealing pants at will....keep an eye on your clothes line...you never know if you could be next

Ya man, pants everywhere are shuddering and parents should really keep an eye on their kids trousers. And people wonder why murder happens and why essentially the rest of the world has a disdain for America.

[A Spec Products]

This kinda stuff makes me disgusted.

[Farzam]

Yo.
Guy isn't racist.
Quit pullin shit out ya asses.

[S14DB]

I hope he gets disbarred over this.

[azndoc]

LOLz justice has prevailed this time.

The cleaners are off the hook.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19414287?GT1=10056

[Flipzide]

Originally Posted by azndoc

LOLz justice has prevailed this time.

The cleaners are off the hook.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19414287?GT1=10056

sweet. its nice to see some closure. i've been wondering what happened when i read this article in may.

[EvilRB]

My faith in the system is restored... well alittle anyway. Karmas a bitch now that judge has to pay for all the court cost on both sides and they are now debating if he will lose his position as judge as well. I think they should kick his ass to the curb and disbar him!

[Farzam]

My dad is relieved.

[C. Senor]

damn. that was ridiculous. i'm glad that everything worked out for the chung's. seriously though that pearson guys is a complete douche.

[Drift Motion]

poor koreans..

but this IS america..u can get sued by the person who wants to steal your car, if u put some type of trap in it...

[1Via!]

**I've been drinking**

Fuck that bullshit. This judge faggot should be disbarred and be publicly humiliated in a pillitory for a couple of weeks.


The Chungs came to this country to forge their own path, albeit through a somewhat typical and stereotypical trade. I have Korean friends who have suffered through similar tribulations simply because they were Korean. Being kicked out of buildings because of minor contract misunderstandings, and consequently ruined financially.

As far as my personal judgment goes, this goes against every blue blooded american molecule in my body. A good business will reimburse you for your damaged or lost possesion, and expect to resolve the issue in a personable and civilized fashion. This judge seems to suffer from psychological problems.
I would suggest he is sentenced to 4 years of personal councillor and a few hundred hours of community service, on top of reimbursing the Chungs for lost funds and pain and suffering.