Dry Cleaner Wins in Missing-Pants Case

by C1ay Jun 25, 2007 12:35AM PDT

A judge on Monday ruled in favor of a dry cleaner that was sued for $54 million over a missing pair of pants in a case that garnered international attention and renewed calls for litigation reform.

District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff ruled that the Korean immigrant owners of Custom Cleaners did not violate the city's Consumer Protection Act by failing to live up to Roy L. Pearson's expectations of the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign that was once placed in the store window.

"Plaintiff Roy L. Pearson, Jr. takes nothing from the defendants, and defendants Soo Chung, Jin Nam Chung and Ki Y. Chung are awarded the costs of this action against the plaintiff Roy L. Pearson, Jr.," the ruling read.

More....

Now if they can just get this judge off the bench...

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -

There is justice after all..

by EdH Jun 25, 2007 12:39AM PDT

I think he'll be removed. Is that an elected position?

- Collapse -

Pantless

by Sasha Tee Jun 25, 2007 12:42AM PDT

Can you just imagine the stress small business owners would be facing if the case went the other way? It's so obvious that the judge is too emotionally unfit at this time to serve in court, so maybe a leave of absence along with an evaluation of his mental state is in order.

- Collapse -

the judge

by Rick S Jun 25, 2007 12:54AM PDT

Federal ALJs are appointed under the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 (APA). Their appointments are merit-based on scores achieved in a comprehensive testing procedure, including an 8-hour written examination and an oral examination before a panel that includes an OPM representative, AmericanB ar Assn. representative, and a sitting federal ALJ, . Federal ALJs are the only merit-based judicial corps in the United States.

- Collapse -

(NT) Thanks for the info. I did not know that.

by Angeline Booher Jun 26, 2007 9:35PM PDT

- Collapse -

10s of thousands of dollars

by Steven Haninger Jun 25, 2007 3:55AM PDT

in fees for the defense lawyer??? Something not right there either. He shouldn't have to pay a dime out of pocket. Pearson should be made to pony up for all of it but doubt he'd graciously comply with the court's order anyway.

- Collapse -

Hmmm... problem with how lawyers bill for services...

by grimgraphix Jun 25, 2007 4:34AM PDT

... now a days, is that they charge for everything... and a great deal of it is plain old pork barrel bill padding. One wonders if you can safely ask a lawyer "how their day is going" without receiving a bill for consultation.

Sadly, it seems a growing trend fairly common in most occupations now. I am all for paying for an individuals expertise and knowledge. Problem is that most folk have a overgrown opinion of how valuable their expertise really is compared to their peers in any given industry... thus driving an ever-escalating expectation of what the "standard" fee is for any given service.

Part of the reason for such trends is the use of jargon in a given occupation such as the law. I once read a study that found something like 65 to 70% of all the technical terms used in any given law document were unneeded and could have been expressed using common english language. One wonders if you could eliminate 65% of the jargon... could you eliminate 65% of the fee?

Yeah right, silly me!

- Collapse -

Something called "unbundling"

by Steven Haninger Jun 25, 2007 5:02AM PDT

where you're not charged for the finished product or service but for each of its component parts plus the time spent on each. Many professions do that....medical in particular. Your auto mechanic does so as well but flat rates the labor for each task. When they need to raise the total fee, they just unbundle some other task that's normally been considered as a cost of doing business. Eventually your restaurant bill might include separate charges for setting your table, and cleaning up after you. This could be broken down by the number of napkins and eating utensils that required laundering and sterilizing. Maybe the candle or other centerpiece warrants and "ambiance" fee. Unbundling...that's how it's done.

Dry Cleaner Wins in Missing-Pants Case

CNET Forums

Other Forums

Forum Info