Washington: When US judge Roy L Pearson found out that his laundry had lost a pair of his trousers, he settled for £75 (Rs 6,000) in compensation.
But when the same firm allegedly lost a second pair of his trousers — his favourite pair — three years later, the judge was not to be satisfied with a similar sum. Instead, he is seeking £33million in damages from Jim and Soo Chung, the Korean-born couple who own the firm, even though the trousers were worth only £400 (Rs 32,000). Korean-born couple Jim and Soo Chung are being sued for £33 million (Rs 268 cr) by a judge who claims he endured ‘mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort’ as a result of his misplaced pants.
Judge Peason, who is also a lawyer in Washington, DC, comes to the astonishing figure partly by claiming the firm breached consumer protection laws by using a sign that read ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed’. The fine for breaking those laws can amount to £750 (Rs 61,000) per day, and he alleges 12 such breaches, dating back to the first loss, which soon begins to add up. The judge also claims that he endured ‘mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort’ after he was not able to wear his beloved trousers on his first day on the bench.
Furthermore, he is suing for ten years of weekend car rentals so he can transport his dry cleaning to another store. A civil trial is set for June, and Judge Pearson reveals in court papers that he intends to call 63 witnesses for the trouser trial. Soo Chung, who with her husband runs Custom Cleaners and two other dry cleaning shops in the Fort Lincoln area of the state, said: “It’s not funny. I don’t want to live here any more. I just want to go back to Korea.”
For £33million, Judge Pearson, who turned down the Chungs’ settlement offer of £6,000 (Rs 4.8 lakh), could buy 84,115 new pairs of the grey trousers with blue and red stripes that he so misses.
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