Judge sues cleaner for $65M over pants By LUBNA TAKRURI, Associated Press Writer
Thu May 3, 6:55 AM ET


The Chungs, immigrants from South Korea, realized their American dream when they opened their dry-cleaning business seven years ago in the nation's capital. For the past two years, however, they've been dealing with the nightmare of litigation: a $65 million lawsuit over a pair of missing pants.

Jin Nam Chung, Ki Chung and their son, Soo Chung, are so disheartened that they're considering moving back to Seoul, said their attorney, Chris Manning, who spoke on their behalf.

"They're out a lot of money, but more importantly, incredibly disenchanted with the system," Manning said. "This has destroyed their lives."

The lawsuit was filed by a District of Columbia administrative hearings judge, Roy Pearson, who has been representing himself in the case.

Pearson did not return phone calls and e-mails Wednesday from The Associated Press requesting comment.

According to court documents, the problem began in May 2005 when Pearson became a judge and brought several suits for alteration to Custom Cleaners in Northeast Washington, a place he patronized regularly despite previous disagreements with the Chungs. A pair of pants from one suit was not ready when he requested it two days later, and was deemed to be missing.

Pearson asked the cleaners for the full price of the suit: more than $1,000.

But a week later, the Chungs said the pants had been found and refused to pay. That's when Pearson decided to sue.

Manning said the cleaners made three settlement offers to Pearson. First they offered $3,000, then $4,600, then $12,000. But Pearson wasn't satisfied and expanded his calculations beyond one pair of pants.

Because Pearson no longer wanted to use his neighborhood dry cleaner, part of his lawsuit calls for $15,000 - the price to rent a car every weekend for 10 years to go to another business.

"He's somehow purporting that he has a constitutional right to a dry cleaner within four blocks of his apartment," Manning said.

But the bulk of the $65 million comes from Pearson's strict interpretation of D.C.'s consumer protection law, which fines violators $1,500 per violation, per day. According to court papers, Pearson added up 12 violations over 1,200 days, and then multiplied that by three defendants.

Much of Pearson's case rests on two signs that Custom Cleaners once had on its walls: "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Same Day Service."

Based on Pearson's dissatisfaction and the delay in getting back the pants, he claims the signs amount to fraud.

Pearson has appointed himself to represent all customers affected by such signs, though D.C. Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz, who will hear the June 11 trial, has said that this is a case about one plaintiff, and one pair of pants.

Sherman Joyce, president of the American Tort Association, has written a letter to the group of men who will decide this week whether to renew Pearson's 10-year appointment. Joyce is asking them to reconsider.

Chief Administrative Judge Tyrone Butler had no comment regarding Pearson's reappointment.

The association, which tries to police the kind of abusive lawsuits that hurt small businesses, also has offered to buy Pearson the suit of his choice.

And former National Labors Relations Board chief administrative law judge Melvin Welles wrote to The Washington Post to urge "any bar to which Mr. Pearson belongs to immediately disbar him and the District to remove him from his position as an administrative law judge."

"There has been a significant groundswell of support for the Chungs," said Manning, adding that plans for a defense fund Web site are in the works.

To the Chungs and their attorney, one of the most frustrating aspects of the case is their claim that Pearson's gray pants were found a week after Pearson dropped them off in 2005. They've been hanging in Manning's office for more than a year.

Pearson claims in court documents that his pants had blue and red pinstripes.

"They match his inseam measurements. The ticket on the pants match his receipt," Manning said.


On the Net:

I have this wierd feeling that either Estrip or Paul's blog is going to win the artvoice award. Somehow, I just know one of them will win. So don't worry, (e:Paul).

Oh, and I went to Grandma Mora's on Hertel yesterday with my best friend Kristi. The food was decent and the margarita was inexpensive and tasty. I think I liked Cozumel a little better, though. The atmosphere at Cozumel is pretty fun.

I'm trying to finish up my thesis like a mad fiend... that's the rest of my life.

I would have written this in haikus, but I think (e:carolinian) is the master:).

Happy Earth Day!

It's a really beautiful day. The sky is so clear and sunny. I woke up feeling sick from the lupus this morning, but as soon as I went out for a walk- I felt so much better. It was great to sit outside in the breeze.

In recent years, the current presidential administration hasn't seemed to put the environment as much of a public policy priority as they really should have (I don't mean to single out the most recent one entirely- many leaders didn't care that much). Hopefully, that trend will reverse. There are so many interesting ideas out there to use new technologies that would combat polution, sustain our fossil fuels, and improve the quality of resources around the world. I hope greed and shortsightedness won't thwart this.

There is a lot that can't be undone, but there is still the possibility that we can turn things around for the better (if only we make it a priority).

Don't believe me when I say that I cook dishes like "Palak Paneer" and "navratan kurma" and "couscous". I can't cook worth anything. I honestly would like to, but I tend to make things implode (or is it explode?). I really just get those already prepared meals in a box at Wegmans, and I microwave them. It's cool to be able to tell people I make meals like that, though:).

I was able to register for classes for the fall. I wasn't able to get into one of the classes I was required to take, but I think I can get that worked out. I found out with the TA stuff that I don't have to teach any classes next year. I just grade papers and help students in large classes. I'm so glad that I don't actually have to teach my first year.

I'm taking:
American Cultural History of the 1950's
American Environmental History
The Politics of Memory (studying communist and fascist regimes)

I'm glad to be back in Buffalo. It's so warm out! Well, I probably better get back to work. I hope all of you will have a wonderful weekend.

I'm in Albany right now. i went up there to put a few things in place with school. I really like it there, so far. The campus is very modern, but appealing looking. I went to Disability Services, and they were a huge help and were very nice. They have power scooters that people can use for the day anytime they need one. That would be a huge help, with the arthritis. Plus, they have adaptive technology so that I don't have to write by hand anymore. They gave me the lowdown on a lot of the university information I needed.

The one problem I've been having is finding housing. The entire campus housing is booked up already. I'm trying to find an apartment on the busline. I think I will find one okay, but it's kind of difficult being in Buffalo. Residence Life was disheartening to deal with, and the person we spoke with was pretty rude. Maybe she was having a tough day, though. I know it's not an easy job. Tommorow, I meet with my advisor to hopefully register for classes and find out more about the teaching job.

It was good to get away from everything. My Aunt and Uncle lives in Albany, and I went out to lunch with them and my parents. We went to this fancy chain restaurant called the Cheesecake Factory. I had never been there before. It was kind of pricy, but the food was good. Especially their key lime cheesecake:).