For $400 anybody can sue anybody for anything (just about)…that does not mean you should. One judge lost his pants in a lawsuit against his dry cleaner. Ever wonder why judges wear robes? Pearson v. Chung is the cautionary fail of an Administrative Law Judge who sued his dry cleaner for $67 million over a lost pair of pants. He later reduced the suit to $54 million, asking for $500,000 in attorney’s fees, $2 million for “discomfort, inconvenience, and mental distress,” and $51.5 million to help other dissatisfied customers sue area businesses. He lost. Not only did the court rule against Judge Pearson, he was not recommended for a ten-year term as an Administrative Law Judge partly because his “pants suit” demonstrated a lack of “judicial temperament.” Meanwhile, though the dry cleaner won the suit, they lost their dry cleaning store. They would up in the fund-raising business to cover legal costs in excess of $80,000, not to mention time away from work. Litigation is fun, but it is costly, and sometimes if you win you lose. Seek competent legal counsel before you decide to pull $400 out of your pocket to sue someone.
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