News Item:
$67 million for a pair of pants

Roy Pearson had a favorite pair of pants that he took to his local dry cleaning establishment.  He wanted to look spiffy when he started his new job.  His first day at the new place didn’t go as planned though, because the dry cleaners lost his pants, so he’s suing the tiny business owned by a quiet Korean couple, for $67,000,000.00.

Now on first glance, that may seem a bit steep, but the pants weren’t just a pair of casual slacks, they were the lower half of a business suit.  What good is the suit if you don’t have the pants to go with it?  Pearson did own other suits, of course, but the pants for all those suits were too tight, and his first day on the job was ruined.  You might think for someone who feels appearance is tantamount, a Thigh Master may have been in order, but that’s another whole story.

Pearson demanded $1150 for a new suit, but then lawyers got involved.  The Korean couple, seeing where this was going, offered to settle for $3000, and cut their losses.  Pearson refused the offer.  The couple then offered him $4600.  Reeeeejected.  The couple then upped the ante to $12,000.  Peason said See you in court.

If you think that this was starting to get out of hand, hold on, because it gets better.  Turns out, the missing pants weren’t really lost, just misplaced, and returned in less than one week.  Pearson, however, refused to accept the pants, claiming that they weren’t his, even though the style, the cut, the size, and the claim ticket all matched the now pricey article.

The visit to the dry cleaners happened back in 2005, and Pearson has pressed the suit [no pun intended] for two years now.  He’s basing his claim on the fact that the business advertises Satisfaction Guaranteed and Same Day Service, and he’s not satisfied at all.  He wants $1500, per day, for each of the 1200 plus days now that he’s had to go to work without those pants.  He wants $500,000 for emotional damages, $542,000 in legal fees, and $15,000 for 10 years worth of weekend car rentals.  Apparently with his new job, he can only go shoppng for pants on weekends, and we’re guessing he doesn’t own a car.

The Korean couple, after starting their business from scratch, and maintaining it for 14 years, now only want to go back to Korea.  Their own legal fees have all but bankrupted them, and their American Dream is a disastor.

The best part of the story though, goes back to Roy Pearson,
who just happens to be a judge.
That all important first day on the job that got him so riled up?
That was his first day on the bench.

Full Story: ABC News

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