Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Attorney Plaintiff Bawls over Pants at Trial Against Dry Cleaners

A month ago, I wrote about the attorney suing the dry cleaner for $67 million because they lost his trousers. Now his case is at trial, and he cried while testifying about the case.

A judge had to leave the courtroom with tears running down his face Tuesday after recalling the lost pair of trousers that led to his $54 million lawsuit against a dry cleaner.

Administrative law judge Roy L. Pearson had argued earlier in his opening statement that he is acting in the interest of all city residents against poor business practices. Defense attorneys called his claim "outlandish."

As I said before, this guy is the reason we need tort reform. The dry cleaners offered to settle with him for up to $12,000. That's 12 times what he paid for the entire suit. But this jerk wants to be given $15,000 to rent a car every week to go to a different dry cleaners.

According to law.com, Pearson has dropped the part of his suit asking for damages relating to the pants, but is instead focusing on two signs that hung in the dry cleaners: "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Next Day Service." He thinks the claims were "fraudulent" and he's entitled to $54 million because of it.

The defendants, Jin Chung, Soo Chung and Ki Chung, are asking for attorneys' fees. I wish they were suing Pearson back for harassment. And I hope the judge throws the book at this creep.

The Chungs are one of thousands of small businesses who get trapped in frivolous lawsuits every year. I understand that the McDonald's coffee case concerned more than just one lady who scalded herself when her coffee sloshed over the sides of the cup, but I'm not terribly sure that suing a dry cleaner for $54 million is protecting the consumers from anything.