U.S. judge rules in favor of South Korean dry cleaner in multimillion-dollar suit over missing pants
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No pair of pants is worth $54 million (€40 million). A judge rejected a lawsuit that sought that amount by taking a South Korean dry cleaner’s promise of “Satisfaction Guaranteed” to its most legalistic extreme. Roy L. Pearson became a worldwide symbol of legal abuse by seeking jackpot justice from a simple complaint — that a neighborhood dry cleaners lost the pants from a suit and tried to give him a pair that were not his. His claim, reduced from $67 million (€49.77 million), was based on a strict interpretation of the city’s consumer protection law — which imposes fines of $1,500 (€1,114) per violation — as well as damages for inconvenience, mental anguish and attorney’s fees for representing himself. A judge on Monday decided that Pearson was not entitled to a penny, and in fact owes the Chung family, owners of Custom Cleaners in northeast Washington, about $1,000 (€743) in clerical court costs. The lawsuit filed by Pearson, an administrative law judge, has been mocked worldwide as a frivolous and outrageous legal action, and cost the Chungs two years of litigation, sleepless nights, financial and emotional stress. More : iht.com |