Judge Suing Dry Cleaner For $54 Million Cries In Court
According to the Washington Post, Judge Roy "Fancy Pants" Pearson cried when he recalled the moment he was handed the wrong pants by a DC dry cleaner. You'll recall that Pearson is suing the dry cleaner for $54 million dollars, alleging signs reading "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Same Day Service" constituted consumer fraud. From the Washington Post:
"Never before in recorded history have a group of defendants engaged in such misleading and unfair business practices," Pearson said in his opening statement. You don't get a lot of firsts in recorded history in D.C. Superior Court, though I should add that Marion Barry was in the building for his day in traffic court, and the pants suit easily outdrew the ex-mayor-for-life.It gets better. One of Fancy Pants Pearson's witnesses testified, comparing the Mom and Pop dry cleaner to Nazi Germany:
"At 89, I'm not ready to be chased," she said. "But I was in World War II as a WAC, so I think I can take care of myself. Having lived in Germany and knowing the people who were victims of the Nazis, I thought he was going to beat me up. I thought of what Hitler had done to thousands of Jews."Wait. It gets better.
Pearson paused. He struggled to breathe deeply. He could not continue. Pearson blurted a request for a break, stood up, turned around and walked out of the courtroom, tears dripping from his full and reddened eyes.Wait, we can't take it anymore, it's too funny. You'll have to read the rest on your own.—MEGHANN MARCOWhen he returned, he called that moment when Chung offered him the wrong pants "a Twilight Zone experience," and again, he welled up and had to halt the proceedings. Pearson wanted to submit the remainder of his testimony in writing, but Judge Bartnoff wouldn't hear of it.
Judge Who Seeks Millions for Lost Pants Has His (Emotional) Day in Court [Washington Post]
(Photo: Inside Edition)
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Comments:
This guy has GOT to meet the Starbucks raspberry syrup guy. It'll be a whole new era in lawsuits.
On what fucking planet is this guy a judge? I have 3 words for 'your honor' Haggar Action Slacks. Case dismissed!
Is this entire case a joke? I mean, seriously, why hasn't this been thrown out yet? It's one thing to be stupid enough to sue for millions over a pair of pants, but when another judge in court allows this sort of thing to go on, that is just insane! I just hope there is a typo there somewhere, and he is really suing for 54 dollars, not 54 million.
What a coincidence, I'm weeping too! For our country, that is.
Soooo...obviously there isn't a sanity test required before one becomes a judge, considering this guy's a few ants short of a picnic.
Roy Pearson doesn't need $54 million, he needs therapy. It's bad enough when ordinary people clog up our judicial system with BS like this...nevermind an administrative judge.
I hope he gets disbarred, disrobed, and censured. What a world...what a world.....
When I first heard about this case, I thought Pearson was a typical power mad assclown. Now, it's apparent that he's insane. I can't believe no one's put a stop to this. It's a disgrace on so many levels.
"My pants!!! My pants!!! WHY?!?!", Pearson cried and looked up to the heavens in court as he recalled his now deceased love.
And that's why they want to reform tort law.
"NOOOO! Take Me, God. Let my pants live!!!"
Hopefully, it's only going on so that the judge can rule that the case was decided against Pearson fairly and that it can never be reopened. Here's to hoping he ALSO orders Pearson to pay all legal fees and a big fat FINE for dragging this out.
From a Reuters article:
""Economically, emotionally, and health-wise as well, it's been extremely hard for us," Chung said through an interpreter as she broke down crying. It has cost tens of thousands of dollars to defend against the lawsuit, with a quarter of that covered by donations, a spokeswoman said."
Yikes. Where do I donate?
Source: [www.reuters.com]
I THINK the presiding judge is a woman. That's how NPR put it anyway.
Just sayin'.
Tip for Judge Roy "Fancy Pants" Pearson....the neckbrace you plan to wear to win sympathy points isn't working either.
Someone important needs to step forward and represent these people and lend them their financial backing. Where the hell is Al Sharpton when we need him!?
The CEO of the national trial lawyers association had nothing but scathing criticism for Pearson's suit. If even the head of the trial lawyers calls his lawsuit frivolous and abusive, well... you think he'd take the hint. I'm surprised his precious pants didn't just burst into flames while he squeezed out those crocodile tears.
As has been pointed out, this couple's insurance should cover these lawsuits. As someone who personally knows some dry-cleanin' Koreans, dry cleaners get sued a LOT. Over really dumb shit. But insurance covers it. At least, it should. I don't know about upfront costs, though.
It sounds like they are well-represented. I can't imagine that the presiding judge is going to award this guy anything.
hmm... says 17 comments on front page...
but none are visible.
AND the comment script ate one of my comments on the Seattle lactose-intolerant raspberry-latte-sipping life-partners.
Wait. Is this real? Because I thought I was just reading an SNL sketch.
This is why the terrorists hate us.
I'd like to see Judge Judy preside over this case. Probably be done by now...
@PKnel: No you fool, they want to "reform" to protect corporations from getting their asses handed to them after getting sued for honest, legitimate reasons by good people.
But they will use this asshole as an excuse. Sort of like how a racist will try to justify hating all Mexicans by focusing in on that one lazy, violent, drunken bum he met that banged his mother.
Understand?
My theory is that the Judge presiding over the case is letting him embarrass himself.
Sort of like "give him enough rope and he'll hang himself" saying.
And it's true, he's the assclown of the week, making a mockery of himself and everything he stands for.
We need some type of vigilant justice crew, underground sort-of, to take care of this shit. No (neccessarily) to kill people. Just to back up a dump truck and pile 2 tons of used clothes on this guys front door in the middle of the night.
Or 100 people show up at his work and take their pants off and throw it at him. Prank call him nightly. Email him incessantly. Billboards. spraypaint. Fight club shit.
can we sue this cunt pump for wasting our tax dollars? no seriously i mean it.
I can't wait to hear about this guy being disbarred as a judge because of this suit.
How the hell do you cry over a pair of pants?!
We'll there you have it, why our legal system is screwed! It employs and tolerates jerks that waste our tax dollars using the system oppress people they don't like. That judge should immediately be disbarred along with all the RIAA-MPAA a$$hats as well.
Them sure is some nice pants! HA!
Next he'll claim the pants were handed down to him from generations ago. Wonder if the pants have a "made in china" tag.
That my friends would make it funnier.
Maybe the judge can punish him by making him work at the dry cleaners. After being dis-barred of course.
Oh my god... that lady actually said, "Thousands of Jews." I think she's off by about three of four digits there.
You see, it had been Mr. Pearson's lifelong dream to be a banker, and just the day before, he had been turned down by another bank...
@homerjay: The plaintiff is Black. The defendant is Korean. Call me racist but I doubt Al Sharpton would be on the defendant's side.
I'm wondering: if Pearson is suing the Chungs on behalf of every resident of the District of Columbia, will he split the settlement evenly (after his third for the first $300K and then what, 25% next? I don't remember the proper breakdown for contingency cases over $300,000...)?
I missed the memo that Pearson's witness and DS-MAX must have got about comparing life's hardships to the Holocaust being "in" again.
@Dorkbear
Interestingly enough, the judge's name is Judith:
TRIAL UPDATE: The Pearson v. Chung trial concluded on June 13, 2007. Presiding Judge Judith Bartnoff has indicated that she will produce a verdict sometime during the week of June 18, 2007.
So I guess, in a way, there is a Judge Judy presiding. Hopefully, she's just as mean :-)
Though I would love to see the television Judge Judy rip this guy a new one...
It wont hurt for the court to investigate his finances. Check out and see if he owes a ton of money to corporations or debts. Mebbe he bought a new jet or a yatch? Or mebbe he's plannin on using that money to fund al quaida?
Or mebbe he's jus tryin to waste everybody's time and cause more backlogs in cases being overheard by the judge? A family member get in trouble with the law and is awaiting a judge trial?
All very suspicious unless of course he's lost it.
This really reminds me of a scenario in "The Practice."
Steve Young's character, Eugene, had problems with a dry cleaner and his suit was messed up and the cleaner called him fat...
I think this is just silly though, crying over a pair of pants. He is in his 50s, right? I'm surprised he even complains over such a thing. I also don't see why it was 60m+ to begin with, and then lower to 54m, it is still a ridiculous charge.
He must especially hate these cleaners, and well with all that money he could just find some professional cleaning equipment instead of suing a poor cleaner's shop, so he wouldn't have to deal with them if he hates them so.
how did nazis get involved in this?
"I thought of what Hitler had done to thousands of Jews."
Surely there must be a Godwin precedent somewhere in the legal system?
Is this case frivolous? Yes. How the person got to be judge, well those responsible should be ashamed. HOWEVER how many times have people been treated rudely by cleaners of the sort? Many. I hope this sends a ripple effect through America so cleaners of the sort think twice about how they treat customers.
What the hell is wrong with this guy! I find it deeply disturbing that this man is a judge, I think he should seriously consider sentencing himself to a mental institution for a good long time and permanently leave our wonderful court system. I would be very afraid to be before this judge even for a simple traffic ticket!
He's laughing so hard (on the inside) that he's crying. When he can't control it, he leaves the courtroom.
I thought of what Hitler had done to thousands of Jews.
Little known fact: Hitler was in the dry cleaning business. He got his kicks out of losing the pants of his Jewish patrons.
"Wait, those aren't my pants...OH GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!" *falls into bizarro world*
So all cleaners that treat people rudely should be sued? The Chungs offered to replace the pants, plus money, and last I read before the case went to trial was an offer for $12K as compensation.
Let us know if that's not enough compensation for a pair of pants. They weren't made of vicuña after all.
I really hope mr fancy pants is only doing this to show America how badly our judicial system is broken by letting these kinds of cases go to court in the first place. You know, to make a statement in hope of reform....ok, he's just a freaking loon.
I heard about this case a while ago. I thought it a bit strange, but assumed-seemingly unlike many-that there's more than meets the eye.
The linked article seems to indicate that the folks don't take too kindly to having their work challenged. So perhaps in some way they are not the victims that many seem to want to portray them as.
I suspect that the judge is not suing for the money, but to put them out of business. Everyone always sues for a dollar amount, settles and then say they hope it will serve as a lesson to the offender. But I've always wondered why people don't sue 'evil' doctors and 'eco-villans' into bankruptcy and failed existence.
If he sued for the cost of the pants, the cleaner would likely be annoyed, but unaffected. I heard on the news that the judge filed a complaint to which the family did not respond, and thus the lawsuit for the $60+ million ensued.
It's worth pointing out that even if he won, they likely would not be able to pay him the requested amount. I doubt their insurance company would accept the ruling. It would most likely be appealed so that he didn't see any money anyway.
I think this one may be about principle.
@oldhat: "My theory is that the Judge presiding over the case is letting him embarrass himself."
You're correct. From reading testimony and decisions from the judge in this case, it appears that she (the presiding judge) decided that he was going to continue to harass the legal system with this issue (and continue to harass the dry cleaners) until he got his day in court. She's been super-thorough through the entire trial and is taking the somewhat unusual step of issuing her ruling in written format, so that the Pants Jackass will have no grounds for appeal and so that every i is dotted and every t is crossed.
Regarding his generalized jackassery and apparent failure to understand even the most basic principles of law:
There's been a lot of chatter in the DC law lists that he might a) get fired, b) lose his law license, and/or c) face various other sanctions. The feeling in the DC and NoVA bars (my husband's a member of both) is that he's an embarassment and should clearly not be practicing law, let alone serving as any kind of judge.
On a totally different note, having read some of the testimony, I do seriously wonder if the man is mentally ill and in need of treatment. I know lawyers who, once offended, will be appeased by nothing less than a scorched-earth lawsuit that destroys the person who dared offend them. But this seems to go beyond that, particularly how he keeps trying to relitigate his divorce (Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?) in this courtroom and goes off on long rambling, disconnected diatribes about the law, policy, his testimony, etc.
And inability to follow a judge's instructions or take a judge's hints is a dangerous sign of disconnection from reality in a lawyer! ;)
Can we sue this jerk-off for how much bandwidth he's wasting? I believe it's worth oh...$54 million or so.