WASHINGTON — A former administrative law judge who unsuccessfully sued a dry cleaner for $54 million over a pair of lost pants tried to convince an appeals panel Wednesday that he deserves the money because he is a fraud victim.
“This is not a case about a pair of suit pants,” Roy Pearson argued before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Rather, it is about whether the owners of a neighborhood business misled consumers with a sign that claimed “Satisfaction Guaranteed,” he said.
“There is an unconditional guarantee,” he argued, unless the merchant indicates otherwise.
Pearson said the sign was deceptive and that the burden was on owners Jin Nam Chung and Soo Chung to explain whether the promise came with restrictions.
Pearson sued Custom Cleaners in northeast Washington in 2005 after claiming the Chungs lost a pair of trousers from a $1,100 blue and burgundy suit, then tried to give him a pair of charcoal gray pants that he said were not his. A D.C. Superior Court judge ruled against Pearson more than a year ago, awarding him nothing.
Christopher Manning, an attorney for the Chungs, said the business owners believe they did not lose the pants.
“My clients have his pants and they’re ready to be picked up by Mr. Pearson,” he said.
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