By Lubna Takruri
Washington - No pair of pants is worth $54-million (about R380-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 neighbourhood 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, was based on a strict interpretation of the city's consumer protection law - which imposes fines of $1 500 per violation - as well as damages for inconvenience, mental anguish and attorney's fees for representing himself.
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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 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.
"This case was giving American justice a black eye around the world, and it was all the more upsetting because it was a judge and lawyer who was bringing the suit," said Paul Rothstein, a Georgetown University law professor.
Rothstein said Monday's ruling "restores one's confidence in the legal system".
Calls have come from around the world for Pearson to lose his position on the bench and be disbarred. The city's chief administrative law judge is still considering Pearson's 10-year reappointment.
The Korean family knows what they will do if Pearson shows up at their door with his laundry again.
"If he wants to continue using our services, then, yes, he is welcome," co-owner Soo Chung said at a news conference on Monday to a mob of reporters from at least nine different countries.
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