Pantsed
Boo-hoo judge headed for the cleaners:
The D.C. administrative law judge who sued his neighborhood dry cleaners for $54 million over a pair of lost pants found out yesterday what he’s going to get.
Nothing.
Not exactly.
Bartnoff ordered Pearson to pay the Chungs’ court costs — likely to be a few thousand dollars — to cover fees for filings, transcripts and similar expenses. But even bigger troubles loom. She said she will consider making Pearson also pay the couple’s attorneys’ fees arising from the two-year legal battle. With the legal costs likely to exceed $100,000, however, the Chungs aren’t counting on Pearson being able to pay, Manning said.
And with good reason. Up for reappointment this year, Pearson could have a hard time keeping his $96,000-a-year job if Bartnoff finds him at fault for his pursuit of the case. While awaiting a decision on his reappointment, Pearson is not hearing cases. He did not respond to e-mails seeking comment yesterday.
That sounds like … let’s see … Several thousand in court costs, $100,000 in legal fees and a $96,000 a year job less than nothing.
Judge Boo-Hoo sounds like a great poster child for tort reform and, seeing as he might not be able to pay for trouble and financial damage he has caused, a great argument for reintroducing the pillory for people who engage in nuisance lawsuits. More like this, please.
Legal analysis from Prof. Bainbridge: so much for suing if the skies aren’t friendly enough and there’s just gas, no tiger, in your tank.
Topics: law & order
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 12:36 am on Tuesday, June 26, 2007
2 Responses to “Pantsed”
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June 26th, 2007 at 4:01 am
Why wasn’t this lawsuit thrown out in the beginning? How could anyone take such a thing seriously? If there was any merit to his complaint, why didn’t he take them to small-claims court to get the cost of the pants? At $96,000 a year, I’d say this guy has been grossly overpaid.
June 26th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Pearson wouldn’t even had had to take the drycleaners to small claims court, as they offered to replace the pants, and eventually the whole suit. This case was ludicrous from start to finish.
It’s worth noting that Pearson is black and the drycleaners are Korean, and there has been bad blood between African-Americans and Koreans for a long time. If Pearson had been white and the drycleaners black, the press would be screaming racism.