The District of Columbia Court of Appeals has suspended a former administrative law judge who claimed in a lawsuit that a dry cleaners owed him more than $67 million for losing his pants. The appeals court ordered the suspension of lawyer Roy Pearson Jr. for 90 days in a June 4 opinion noted by the Legal Profession Blog. Bloomberg Law, Law.com and Law360 have coverage. Pearson lost the lawsuit and did not get reappointed as an administrative law judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings in Washington, D.C. He also lost a lawsuit
that claimed that he was a whistleblower who lost his job for complaining about workplace procedures, according to Law360. A hearing committee had recommended a stayed suspension for Pearson’s conduct in the pants lawsuit, while the District of Columbia Board on Professional Responsibility recommended a 90-day suspension. The appeals court agreed with the board’s recommendation, saying Pearson did not accept responsibility for his actions—or even contemplate that his conduct violated ethics rules. Pearson initially demanded $15,000 for emotional distress and $15,000 in punitive damages against Custom Cleaners for losing his pants in 2005. He based his claims on D.C. consumer protection law and signs at the cleaners that said, “Satisfaction Guaranteed,” “Same Day Service,” and “All Work Done on Premises.” Pearson’s compensation demands “escalated dramatically” as the case went on, eventually reaching $67 million, the appeals court said. The owners of the dry cleaners had made three offers of judgment that topped out at $12,000, all rejected by Pearson.
Lawyer gets suspended for pursuing lawsuit of more than $67M over lost pants
The opinion is here: https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/defau.../18-BG-586.pdf
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/busine...udge-suspended
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