$54 million pants suit guy loses final appeal

WASHINGTON - Roy L. Pearson, the former administrative law judge who sued his dry cleaner for $54 million over a misplaced pair of pants, lost his final appeal in the District's highest court.

"Appellant failed to establish either that the Chungs' 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' and 'Same Day Service' signs constituted false or misleading statements, or that they lost his pants.

"Thus, the judgment for the Chungs on the fraud and CPPA claims was proper. Further, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying appellant's motions for a jury trial," says the D.C.'s Court of Appeals ruling.

The saga involving the missing pants started when Pearson filed a civil suit against Jin Nam and Ki Chung, the owners of Custom Cleaners in Northeast.

Back in June 2007, Judge Judith Bartnoff ruled that the Chungs did not violate the consumer protection law by failing to live up to Pearson's expectations of the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign once displayed in the store.

After losing his case in court, Pearson lost his job as a judge in the District when a supervising panel said his lawsuit showed bad judgment and reflected poorly on the city. He initially calculated his losses at $67 million but later lowered them to $54 million.

The recent Court of Appeals ruling says, "Pearson, however, offers no support for this interpretation of the 'Same Day Service' sign, which frankly defies logic."

The Chungs sold the business because of the revenue losses and emotional toll the family suffered after the lawsuit.

(Copyright 2008 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)