And when you immigrate here legally...

[The Dad Fisherman]

This is the kind of BS you get....and from a Judge too. Here's a family that did it the right way and are good tax-paying citizens and they get the shaft. This guy is a disgrace to the judicial system.

Judge sues cleaner for $65M over pants
By LUBNA TAKRURI, Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON - 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.

[fishpoopoo]

...why, it's enough to drive someone batty enough to go shoot up a school.

[striperman36]

My coffee has been too hot at dunkin donuts locally. I have to drive 10 mi a day get my coffee.
I think DD owes me a bunch o cash.

This is just silly. I can't imagine how it got this far into the court system, if the plantiff didn't have 'friends' in the system, you think it would have been resolved amicably.

[UserRemoved1]

WHAT AN ASS.

I hope he doesn't get re-appointed and if it was me I'd make it a point to go do everything I could to be on the news EVERY SINGLE DAY and make myself heard.

THEN AGAIN ASS IS PROBABLY TOO NICE FOR THIS LOSER.

I'd rip the pants to 1" pieces and mail him a piece every week for the next 30 years. JERK

[Nebe]

WTF is wrong with people?

[fishpoopoo]

lawyers.

[BillyBlanks]

That judge needs a good beat down. I hope he gets disbarred.

[Swimmer]

If this is true the judge whould be removed from his job and fired. If he is doing this over a pair of pants thier is no way he could be unbiased in his job related activity. He is a GD nut.

[FishermanTim]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

.....

I'd rip the pants to 1" pieces and mail him a piece every week for the next 30 years. JERK

I also send them to him COLLECT!

They (the Chungs) should turn around and counter-sue him for defamation of character, unlawful use of his position, and for being a complete and utter douchebag.
Maybe if he were saddled with never-ending lawsuits he might get a hint of a clue. There is no place on this planet for a turd like that, PERIOD.

[Slipknot]

what a #^&#^&#^&#^&head

watch he'll have his own tv show in a year on WB

[mosholu]

They should definetly counter sue for filing a frivolous suit (no pun intended) and try to get back their costs in defending the action. The guy is not fit to serve on the bench.

[Finaddict]

Yeah, what a schmo ... he should be disbarred ...

I'm no lawyer ... but it's guys like this that make the legal profession a disgrace ...

[Swimmer]

Frivilous SUIT................

[Mike P]

I don't get it--the pants fit him fine when he was a lowly lawyer, but upon being elevated to the esteemed judical office of administrative hearings officer, all of a sudden they needed to be altered

Hell, you don't want to be wearing baggy pants when you've parked your fat ass on the bench wearing a black robe, after all--you might run into a litigant that has X-ray vision, and can see those pants under the bench and robe

And trust me on this one--no one, but no one, has the pants from a thousand dollar plus suit altered at a freakin' dry cleaners. I'm betting it was the pants from a pair of JC Penny's suit separates