Posted on 06/06/2007 10:51:03 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
WASHINGTON (June 6) - A customer who believes he was mistreated by a dry cleaner has dropped the pants from his suit. Roy L. Pearson, who filed a $67 million lawsuit against the dry cleaning business that lost his pants, has lowered his demand. Now, he's asking for only $54 million, according to a May 30 court filing in D.C. Superior Court.
The District of Columbia administrative law judge first sued Custom Cleaners over a pair of pants that went missing two years ago. He was seeking about $65 million under the D.C. consumer protection act and almost $2 million in common law claims.
He is now focusing his claims on signs in the shop that have since been removed. The suit alleges that the three defendants, Jin Nam Chung, Soo Chung and their son, Ki Chung, committed fraud and misled consumers with signs that claimed "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Same Day Service."
But Chris Manning, the Chungs' attorney, says that can only be considered fraud if the signs were misleading to a "reasonable" person, and no reasonable person would interpret the signs to be an unconditional promise of satisfaction.
Manning says he doesn't expect Pearson to win any compensation when the trial starts June 11.
"I'm still baffled," Manning says, "unless it's simply to harass and annoy my clients."
Because Pearson is representing himself, the litigation has cost him nothing. "But what he's tried to do, it appears as a trial strategy, is to keep up his aggressive stance so he keeps costing the Chungs money," Manning says.
Pearson said in an e-mail that the focus of the case, from the start, was based on the "false, misleading and fraudulent advertisements displayed by the Chungs."
The Chungs, immigrants from South Korea, are now facing tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees and emotional distress, Manning says. A donation Web site the Chungs set up for help _ Custom Cleaners Defense Fund _ has barely collected enough to pay a tenth of their costs, Manning says.
In the month since Pearson's lawsuit received wide publicity, national groups as well as blog comments have expressed shock at Pearson's demands and called for his ouster. Many blog comments say this kind of suit makes the American justice system look bad.
"We're by no means surprised at the outrage because we've been outraged the whole time," Manning says
The guy who brought the lawsuit is a lawyer.
I would love to see this predatory legal beagle b*tch-slapped for even trying something this stupid/greedy/outrageous.
Hasn’t that judge’s law license been revoked yet?
Idiotic liberalism at its best.
I wish this guy would find a pair of pants, ‘cause pretty much everybody is sick of him showing off his @$$...
IMHO our domestic legal mafia is more dangerous to the survival of the country than Al-Qaeda could ever hope for.
Amen brother.
Looser pays would make this Id$ot think twice....but since layers make the laws it will never happen..
‘Because Pearson is representing himself, the litigation has cost him nothing. “But what he’s tried to do, it appears as a trial strategy, is to keep up his aggressive stance so he keeps costing the Chungs money,” Manning says. “
And this folks, is why our system should be changed to LOSER PAYS.
Enough of idiots like Pearson abusing both the legal system and his position as a judge.
Couldn’t agree more...The legal system is out of whack!!!
And to think that lawyers can't understand why they're so hated.
RIGHT ON!! The Emeny is Within.
I hope the Chung’s beat the pants off this guy in court ;-)
Hey I am in favor of a national Slap The Stupid day. Or better yet a week.
I’m with you.
I hope the hammers of hell come down on this thug.
Judges who wield the law as a weapon or means of oppression as in this case should be immediately disbarred. This is worse than allowing a boxer to pick fights with anyone who displeases him.
The legal costs he can inflict upon this decent, hardworking family are ruinous and he should be forced to pay for his folly.
What an idiot.
Anybody got a picture of this “judge”?
He has been reassigned and now only does administrative duties.
Sounds like he dropped the 13 million he wanted for hiring cabs to drive him to a store further from his house than the store he “can’t go do anymore”.
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