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A Korean-American drycleaner has forgiven a U.S. administrative judge who sued him for losing his pants after a Washington court found in favor of the immigrant. Chung Jin-nam told reporters in front of his shop on Monday that he forgave judge Roy Pearson although it was hard, and did not want Pearson to be disqualified for reemployment as an administrative judge. The drycleaner said that he would accept Pearson¡¯s custom again and will not seek damages from the plaintiff.
Chung was sued in May 2005 after he mistakenly delivered Pearson¡¯s US$800 pants to another customer. One week later, the drycleaner retrieved the trousers and returned them to Pearson. But the administrative judge demanded US$1,800, claiming the returned pants were not his.
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Holding the contentious pair of pants, Chung Jin-nam, left, with his wife Soo and attorney Chris Manning, speak with the media outside their dry cleaning business, Custom Cleaners, after a judge ruled in the dry cleaners' favor in Washington on Monday, in a court case in which the Chungs were sued for $54 million dollars over a missing pair of pants. /AP
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When Chung rejected the request, Pearson sued him for $54 million in compensation for the lost trousers citing a sign in the drycleaner¡¯s window saying ¡°Satisfaction Guaranteed.¡± Pearson originally calculated the damage at $67 million by adding up daily compensation of $1,500 under the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act since he lost the pants in 2005. He also included $500,000 in damages for mental anguish. However, he later voluntarily discounted compensation to $54 million in the face of public criticism.
The Washington court ruled against Pearson, saying, ¡°A reasonable consumer would not interpret 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' to mean that a merchant is required to satisfy a customer's unreasonable demands.¡±
Chung thanked Koreans who supported him, saying he might have given up without the Korean media¡¯s interest and the support of the Korean-American community. The U.S. media welcomed the Washington court¡¯s decision, but some did not rule out an appeal.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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