$54 Million Pants Plaintiff to Ask Judge to Reconsider Ruling

July 6, 2007 — -- The case of the $54 million pants continues.

The man who sued a Washington, D.C., dry cleaners for $54 million over a missing pair of pants plans to ask the judge who threw out his case to reconsider her ruling, the dry cleaners' lawyer said today.

Roy Pearson wrote to Christopher Manning, who is representing the Custom Cleaners dry cleaning shop, this week to alert him that he planned to ask Judge Judith Bartnoff to overturn her ruling, Manning said.

Bartnoff ruled last month that Pearson's lawsuit against Soo and Jin Chung, the Korean immigrants who own Custom Cleaners, had no merit, saying that he was "entitled to no relief whatsoever." Pearson had asked for $54 million because he said the Chungs had lost a pair of his prized trousers, despite signs that promised "Satisfaction Guaranteed."

Pearson plans to argue that Bartnoff failed to address his legal claims and will ask her to reverse her ruling, Manning said.

In correspondence this week, Manning asked Pearson to reconsider his appeal — and to move on. Pearson responded by saying he would continue to fight for the best interests of the public.

Calling the case a "multimillion-dollar nightmare," Manning filed court papers Thursday asking Bartnoff to force Pearson to pay nearly $83,000 in legal fees. Bartnoff has already ordered Pearson to pay the Chungs' court costs, which are about $5,000, Manning said.

The case, which lasted two years, gained national attention soon after the lawsuit was filed. Pearson, a former administrative law judge, drew fire not only from an outraged public, but from trial lawyers and tort reform advocates across the country.

A panel that selects Washington's administrative law judges is considering whether to reappoint Pearson to a 10-year term as a judge.

The American Tort Reform Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are hosting a fundraiser for the Chungs July 24.