[SBR_John]

...a fat bill to pay the legal costs of the dry cleaners instead. he is also expected to be fired from his job as a judge. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.


By LUBNA TAKRURI, Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON - A judge ruled Monday in favor of a dry cleaner that was sued for $54 million over a missing pair of pants.

The owners of Custom Cleaners did not violate the city's consumer protection law by failing to live up to Roy L. Pearson's expectations of the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign once displayed in the store window, District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff ruled.

"A reasonable consumer would not interpret 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' to mean that a merchant is required to satisfy a customer's unreasonable demands" or to agree to demands that the merchant would have reasonable grounds for disputing, the judge wrote.

Bartnoff ordered Pearson to pay the court costs of defendants Soo Chung, Jin Nam Chung and Ki Y. Chung.

Pearson, an administrative law judge, originally sought $67 million from the Chungs, claiming they lost a pair of trousers from a blue and maroon suit, then tried to give him a pair a pair of charcoal gray pants that he said were not his. He arrived at the amount by adding up years of alleged law violations and almost $2 million in common law fraud claims.

Bartnoff wrote, however, that Pearson failed to prove that the pants the dry cleaner tried to return were not the pants he taken in for alterations.

Pearson later dropped demands for damages related to the pants and focused his claims on signs in the shop, which have since been removed.

The court costs amount to just over $1,000 for photocopying, filing and similar expenses, according to the Chungs' attorney. A motion to recover the Chungs' tens of thousands of dollars in attorney fees will be considered later.

Chris Manning, the Chungs' attorney, praised the ruling, which followed a two-day trial earlier this month.

"Judge Bartnoff has spoken loudly in suggesting that, while consumers should be protected, abusive lawsuits like this will not be tolerated," Manning said in a statement. "Judge Bartnoff has chosen common sense and reasonableness over irrationality and unbridled venom."

Pearson did not immediately respond to a call and an e-mail seeking comment.

[THE HITMAN]

This one is a good one to read just before enjoying lunch. But, we haven't heard from rev al or jesse, yet, so it might be a bit premature to celebrate. It would be nice if he loses his job, tho. a hole.

[Lenny7]

Mr Pearson said his rights had been violated by the dry-cleaner's


US man loses $54m trousers' claim


Mr Pearson said his rights had been violated by the dry-cleaner's


A US judge has lost a $54m (£27m) claim against a South Korean dry-cleaner's who lost a pair of his trousers.
Roy Pearson, a judge of administrative law, claimed that Custom Cleaners had violated the Consumer Protection Act.
By refusing to pay him $1,000 (£500) after losing his trousers, they failed to honour a pledge to provide "Satisfaction Guaranteed", he argued.
But a Washington judge dismissed the case, which drew international attention, awarding the cleaners costs.
Legal groups have said the case, which has dragged on for two years and involved thousands of hours of legal investigative work, has damaged the image of the US judicial system.
The National Labor Relations Board has called for Mr Pearson to be debarred so that he can no longer serve as a judge.
His case began in 2005 when Mr Pearson took several suits to his local dry-cleaner's in Washington to have some alterations made.
When he returned two days later, a pair of trousers was missing.
The South Korean family running the dry-cleaner's, the Chungs, said they found the missing trousers a few days later and tried to return them but Mr Pearson insisted they were not his. His multimillion dollar calculations for damages included the 1,400 hours he says he spent preparing the case. According to the Washington Post, he also added the cost of hiring a car every weekend to enable him to drive to an alternative dry-cleaner's for the next 10 years.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6238364.stm

[Red_Sux]

i hope he get disbarred.

[SBR_John]

And guys like that are actually Judges in the USA??? WTF?!

And how the heck did he think these Koreans were going to pay if he won? With eggrolls?

[Red_Sux]

And guys like that are actually Judges in the USA??? WTF?!

And how the heck did he think these Koreans were going to pay if he won? With eggrolls?

you racist bastard. koreans can only pay with kim chi and bibimbop

[SBR_John]

you racist bastard. koreans can only pay with kim chi and bibimbop

OK. I knew it wasnt sushi or lapu-lapu. I stand corrected.

[Red_Sux]

here is a racial sensitivity lesson

chinese: kung pao
japanese: sushi
south korean: bibimbop
north korean: dog
vietnamese: meekrow
thai: tom yum koong
russian: borshe/vodka
irish: potatoe/guiness
brits: crap food
french: rooster
german: nasty ass cabbage
american: anything with load of fat and salt
ethopian: ???

[spliff]

here is a racial sensitivity lesson

chinese: kung pao
japanese: sushi
south korean: bibimbop
north korean: dog
vietnamese: meekrow
thai: tom yum koong
russian: borshe/vodka
irish: potatoe/guiness
brits: crap food
french: rooster
german: nasty ass cabbage
american: anything with load of fat and salt
ethopian: ???

good to know, thank you.

[bigboydan]

This is the exact reason why people should never re-elect judges. Well, one of many I'm sure

[stump]

its about time somebody had the balls to stop these bullshit suits. this should never have gone to court

[SBR_John]

The US justice system seems full of folks trying to make a name. They all want to be the next Judge Juddy.

[Red_Sux]

teh sad part is that the koreans are thinking about closing the shop and going back to s. korea.

if i am running that dry cleaner, i would put up a big sign saying, this is the dry cleaner that once dry cleaned a pair of 54 million dollar trousers.