Appeal Gets Snagged in $54M Pants Case

August 16, 2007 - 4:10pm

WASHINGTON -- The latest appeal from a judge who sued a local dry cleaners over a missing pair of pants has hit a snag.

A D.C. Superior Court Judge ruled on Thursday that Administrative Law Judge Roy Pearson is not eligible to be reimbursed for his attorney's fees.

The judge writes that Pearson tried to take what was, at best, a "misunderstanding about one pair of pants and expand it to a claim of $67 million."

The judge also called Pearson's request for attorney's fees "wholly unjustified."

Pearson represented himself in the case and had originally requested $67 million, but later changed the amount to $54 million.

On Tuesday, Pearson declined an offer that could have put the final stitch in the case. Pearson filed paperwork in D.C. Superior Court to move ahead with an appeal.

The Chung family, the owners of the dry cleaner, had offered an olive branch to Pearson, saying they would withdraw their request to be reimbursed for attorneys fees if Pearson agreed not to appeal.

In his filing, Chung family attorney Chris Manning says the Chungs raised enough money through private donations to pay their lawyers fees, and at this point they just want to put the case behind them.

WASHINGTON -- The latest appeal from a judge who sued a local dry cleaners over a missing pair of pants has hit a snag.

A D.C. Superior Court Judge ruled on Thursday that Administrative Law Judge Roy Pearson is not eligible to be reimbursed for his attorney's fees.

The judge writes that Pearson tried to take what was, at best, a "misunderstanding about one pair of pants and expand it to a claim of $67 million."

The judge also called Pearson's request for attorney's fees "wholly unjustified."

Pearson represented himself in the case and had originally requested $67 million, but later changed the amount to $54 million.

On Tuesday, Pearson declined an offer that could have put the final stitch in the case. Pearson filed paperwork in D.C. Superior Court to move ahead with an appeal.

The Chung family, the owners of the dry cleaner, had offered an olive branch to Pearson, saying they would withdraw their request to be reimbursed for attorneys fees if Pearson agreed not to appeal.

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