Man sues dry cleaners for $65 million

[milliondollarchamp]

WASHINGTON -- A missing pair of pants has led to one big suit.

A customer got so steamed when a dry cleaner lost his trousers that he sued for $65 million. Two years later, he is still pressing his suit.

 

The case has demoralized the South Korean immigrant owners of the mom-and-pop business and brought demands that the customer -- an administrative law judge in Washington -- be disbarred and removed from office for pursuing a frivolous and abusive claim.

 

Jin Nam Chung, Ki Chung and their son, Soo Chung, are considering moving back to Seoul, seven years after they opened their dry-cleaning business in the nation's capital, said their lawyer, Chris Manning.

 

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

 

The customer, Roy Pearson Jr., who has been representing himself, declined to comment.

 

According to court documents, the problem began in May 2005 when Pearson became a judge and brought several suits for alterations to Custom Cleaners in Washington. A pair of pants from one suit was missing when he requested it two days later.

 

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.

 

Pearson said those were not his pants, and decided to take the Chungs to the cleaners and sue.

 

Manning said the cleaners have made three settlement offers to Pearson: $3,000, then $4,600, then $12,000.

 

But Pearson was not satisfied and expanded his calculations beyond one pair of pants. Because Pearson no longer wanted to use his neighborhood dry cleaner, he asked in his lawsuit for $15,000 -- the cost of renting a car every weekend for 10 years to go to another business.

 

Manning said Pearson somehow thinks he has the right to a dry cleaner within four blocks of his apartment.

 

The bulk of the $65 million demand comes from Pearson's strict interpretation of Washington consumer protection law, which imposes fines of $1,500 per violation, per day. Pearson counted 12 violations over 1,200 days, then multiplied that by three defendants. The case is set for trial June 11.

 

Sherman Joyce, president of the American Tort Reform Association, an organization that fights what it considers abusive lawsuits against small businesses, has asked that Pearson be denied a renewal this week of his 10-year appointment. The association has also offered to buy Pearson the suit of his choice.

 

http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/200705...uit-over-pants/

[Guest Smues]

I moved this to general chat since it's not really something that goes in the Current Events folder, it's just another bullshit lawsuit that makes a joke of our justice system.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Koreans:Dry Cleaning::Indians/Middle Easterners:Convenience Stores/Liquor Stores

[Scroby]

WASHINGTON -- A missing pair of pants has led to one big suit.

A customer got so steamed when a dry cleaner lost his trousers that he sued for $65 million. Two years later, he is still pressing his suit.

 

Come on. no one else laughed when they read that?

[Ripper]

He is obviously trying to break them with court cost and destroy their lives over a pair of fucking pants. People like this should be hit in the throat with a hammer.

[Guest Smues]

He is obviously trying to break them with court cost and destroy their lives over a pair of fucking pants. People like this should be hit in the throat with a hammer.

That'd be a good start, but I'd rather just have their throat's slit and be done with them.

[Failed Bridge]

there was no mention of "Suing the pants off of them"? What terrible journalism.

[The Amazing Rando]

"NO...MORE....WIRE....HANGERS!!"

[MarvinisaLunatic]

I thought maybe they tried to steam press his pants with him still in them and he got some horrible disfiguring burns.

[Guest Richard McBeef]

Now see, that would be funny.

 

Why 65 million? In honor of the dinosaurs?

[Ted the Poster]

That's right ladies and gentlemen! Consider the PANT! You know, the Pants Association urges you to wear your pants at least three times a day! The great men of our time have all worn pants! Roosevelt! Churchill! DeGualle! Ghandi!--Well, almost all of them! Dolphins! One of the smartest mammals on earth. Do they wear pants? NO! But they wish they did! That's how smart they are!

 

What keeps our legs all warm and hot?

Pants!

 

What prevents a buffalo shot?

Pants!

 

What do they got that I ain't got?

Pants!

[Guest Richard McBeef]

Is "buffalo shot" common beyond the MST realm?

[Slayer]

I've rarely (if never) heard any of the MST substitute-words for crotch (buffalo shot, batch, area, etc.) outside of that show

[the max]

I moved this to general chat since it's not really something that goes in the Current Events folder, it's just another bullshit lawsuit that makes a joke of our justice system.

 

And it's a judge making a joke of our justice system.

 

I hope this guy dies in a fire.

[Giuseppe Zangara]

I've rarely (if never) heard any of the MST substitute-words for crotch (buffalo shot, batch, area, etc.) outside of that show

The closest I've come to hearing any of those in real life is "batch"; even then, it was meant to convey semen, which, well, comes out of something located in the crotch region.

[Guest Richard McBeef]

I was under the impression that the "buffalo shot" was an unfortunate camera angle focused on the area.

[Giuseppe Zangara]

That's what it's supposed to mean. I've never heard any of these terms used in the MTS3k context outside of the show itself; I assume they were either now outdated mid-western slang or in-jokes among the staff. Maybe both.

[Slayer]

They were definitely staff in-jokes, as they talked about it in the MST book.

 

I certainly don't remember those terms being tossed around here in the early-mid 90's

[Giuseppe Zangara]

The Amazing Colossal Episode Guide? I still have that somewhere.