Posted on 08/11/2007 7:03:34 PM PDT by Baladas
A judge who lost a $54 million lawsuit against his former dry cleaner is fighting the cleaners' attempts to collect attorney fees from him.
Roy L. Pearson filed an opposition to the defendants' motion for attorneys' fees Friday, saying he shouldn't have to pay the $82,907.50 that the Chung family owes to defend themselves against his 2005 lawsuit.
Pearson did not immediately reply to an e-mail requesting comment.
Pearson, a local administrative law judge, had claimed that the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign that once hung in the Chungs' shop was misleading and violated the D.C. consumer protection act. A pair of his pants went missing, but a week later, the store owners said they were found.
Pearson denied that they were his and sued. The lawsuit originally demanded $67 million, but was reduced to $54 million. The case went to trial in June and a D.C. Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the Chungs, the owners of Custom Cleaners
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
This “judge” is a criminal, IMO.
This guy is disgusting. He should pay the Chungs’ fees for his frivolous action, and then crawl under a rock.
Put his butt in Jail until he agrees to pay and then keep him on a short leash until he pays.
If there were true justice he would be disbarred.
you can't always git watcha waaannnt
:)
Doogle
If he doesn’t have any money, they should take his pants.
I’m surprised that the Chungs didn’t countersue for pain and suffering.
The judge has no money. Countersuing would just incur more legal expenses for the Chungs.
Frankly, I think the DC Superior Court should reimburse the Chungs for their legal expenses and time. This case should never have been allowed past square one. It was frivolous on its face and should have been thrown out without a single hearing. The suing judge should have been charged with contempt of court just for filing it, and then subjected to a court-ordered psych exam and committed to a mental hospital where he belongs.
Everybody seems to be misreading this article.
The judge is resisting the other side’s attempt to force him to pay their legal costs, totaling close to $90K.
There is nothing in the story to imply that the judge is demanding his legal costs be paid.
You gotta keep in mind that this didn’t happen in the U.S. It happened in D.C. where the well-entrenched politicos and judges trump honest hard-working business people. And, yes, there is a “race thing” to it all which is very sad.
Loser pays.
L
There is nothing in everybody's replies to imply this either. Not sure what you are reading, but it is clear to me that everybody gets the gist of it here.
This guy is Exhibit “A” on why Democrat lawyers are scumbags.
another lib/dem demanding that someone else must pay...
after all...it takes a village of idiots in the US society!!!
There is nothing in everybody's replies to imply this either.
The article states that the judge plaintiff in this case is resisting demands that he pay the defendants' cost of defending themselves.
Post #1, quoted above, states that His Honor is trying to get the defendants to pay his "court costs," which are, BTW, quite different from legal fees.
Post #1 is incorrect. As I said, not a big deal.
They’re his now , since....LOSER pays all.
I will possess these pants.
Then I shall rule the world!
Muahahahahaha!
E-Bay his ants-pay?
The paper said the administrative law judge has been notified that his position might not be renewed....maybe he will get a new job.
Only if the expense is not passed on to the tavpayers. I propose reducing the pay of all the Federal Judges and Court employees in D.C. until the money is repaid.
I hope the Chungs take him to the cleaners..
Apparently, there is a ten-year review required that is coming up now...
Congress should vote to deny his next, and all future paychecks, just as Hunter managed to do with his amendment to prevent funding to imprison Ramos and Compean. He can continue to serve, without any pay.
we don’t have a loser pays all legal system. Some laws, i.e., those coming under the Civil Rights Act, require the loser to pay, but most US laws do not.
The first term for a DC “administrative law judge” (previously known as a hearing examiner, a more apt description) is only a couple of years. He finished those maybe three months ago and has been on hold ever since while the DC govt tries to stall on his reappointment. I guess they havent had the nerve to fire him but obviously don’t want to reappoint him, which would be to a ten-year gig.
Last I heard he had been given some non-adjudicative duties.
IOW, you can assume he is being paid the better part of six figures to do next to nothing, if not absolutely nothing, right now. He probably does not even need to show up.
There, fixed.
Shyster greed and legal manipulations know no political bounds.
Implied above, but could race actually be a factor in his “protection” from being fired?
How about the pain and suffering award?
Here’s what appears to be the text of the request for money for the Chungs: From Google (not the court itself), so we don’t know it is true.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL DIVISION
ROY L. PEARSON, JR. )
) Civil No. 4302-05
Plaintiff )
) Judge Judith Bartnoff
v. ) Next Event: None
)
)
SOO CHUNG, et al. )
____________________________________)
DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR ATTORNEYS’ FEES
Defendants by and through their undersigned attorney, Christopher C. S.
Manning, hereby move this Court, pursuant to Supr. Ct. R. Civ. P. 54(d) and pursuant to the Court’s June 25, 2007 Judgment in this matter, for an Order compelling Plaintiff to pay Defendants’ attorneys’ fees expended in defending this lawsuit.
Simply put, there could be no more perfect of an example of bad faith than that which Plaintiff has demonstrated throughout this litigation.
Since the filing of his frivolous Original Complaint, plaintiff has consistently sought to harass and intimidate Defendants and unnecessarily drive up Defendants’
litigation costs in what should have been a very simple small claims court matter. From his outrageous demands for compensation (initially over $50,000 to then over $100,000 to then over $67,000,000 to finally over $54,000,000) to his amazingly voluminous discovery and motions practice to his unconscionable continual disregard for the Court’s Orders, Plaintiff’s motives have been clear – quite simply, to harass Defendants and to attempt to utterly destroy their lives.
Plaintiff will attempt to characterize his motive as championing the interests of all consumers against the
corporate behemoth. However, as the Court saw at trial, this was clearly not Plaintiff’s motive—especially
when this lawsuit was initially filed. Plaintiff’s bizarre legal theories and baffling damages demands were,
Plaintiff, an administrative law judge and attorney, should have known better.
Simply put, Defendants ask the Court to compensate the parties who have truly suffered throughout this bizarre odyssey – the Chungs. Although the Court’s complete
defense verdict vindicates the Chungs legally, it certainly does not erase the emotional and financial toll this litigation has taken on them.
Accordingly, Defendants request that the Court order Plaintiff to pay Defendants’ attorneys’ fees expended in this litigation as follows:
· Attorneys’ Fees $82,907.50
In support of their Motion, Defendants file a Memorandum of Points & Authorities herewith.
Respectfully submitted,
____/s/ Christopher Manning__________
Christopher C. S. Manning
Manning & Sossamon PLLC
1532 Sixteenth Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
at all times, completely meritless and devised with the motives of creating misery for Defendants and
bilking them for enormous amounts of money. Also, importantly, only Plaintiff (and not any of the people
he supposedly sought to protect) would have received any compensation had he prevailed at trial.
I think the simplest fix here is to notify the state bar and have them start a session with the guy in question. It doesn’t take much to get disbarred if you are out to embarrass the profession. They will explain things to him in such a way that its either pay or find a new profession. His ex-wife indicates that his entire life centers around law...he has nothing else in it but legal circles. So I’m guessing that he may wake up and grasp the situation. But adding to this...he probably is almost broke and can’t pay nothing. I don’t think he even owns the place he lives in...just a renter.
he is an ALJ for the District of Columbia, so he is a DC gov’t employee. while he will probably not be reappointed [but i wouldn’t say that’s a SURE THING either] it doesn’t mean he will be fired from the DC gov’t, and can be given other duties. the lawsuit was ridiculously frivolous, but it isn’t illegal to file frivolous lawsuits.
Of course that is always a possibility with the DC govt. But with someone so litigious and unreasonable, I suspect his personality and behavior are the real issues here. They worry about what this jerk will do next.
Trouble is, as it stands now, the Chungs are having to pay the tab, along with all the stress and time this has cost them. They are taxpayers too. Maybe if ALL the DC taxpayers got hit with bills for crap like this, they’d figure a way to get more competent and reasonable judges onto the bench.
Ahh.. I see now. I breezed right past the first post. My bad.
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