August 2, 2007
Will Pants Judge Roy Pearson Keep His Job?
That's the question a lot of outraged taxpayers in the District of Columbia have been wondering ever since we first heard about administrative law judge Roy Pearson's outrageous $54 million (then $65 million) law suit against the owners of Custom Cleaners for misplacing his favorite pair of pants. Just before his law suit became pun fodder for headline writers all over the world, the city's chief administrative law judge, Tyrone Butler, recommended approval of Pearson's application for a renewed 10-year contract based on his job performance. But a short time later, Butler withdrew his recommendation, publicly offering that after everything that had come out about Pearson's character since the law suit, he did not expect the three-person commission that would ultimately make the decision to reappoint him.
Now the Examiner is reporting that the panel adjourned Wednesday night without deciding whether to fire Pearson. It may be hard to imagine what factors the commission could be considering that wouldn't lead to an immediate decision of "this guy shouldn't be a judge," but it's easier to see that many eyes are on them as they deliberate, and so they wouldn't want to be seen rushing to judgment. The panel is expected to reach a decision early next week.
Judges in general are rarely fired, and the story also points out that Pearson could be the first judge of his rank to be fired by this commission. D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff ruled against Pearson in his lawsuit against the Chung family at the end of June, and the Chungs' attorney has said he expects Pearson to file an appeal.
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I hope that he keeps his job. When I bring my multi-million dollar law suit against the DC Public Works Department for not removing the dead tree in front of my house, I hope he hears my case.
I cannot begin to tell all you DCisters how emotionally devastating this has been for me. Mayor Fenty said he would improve city services when he was elected and everything is still not perfect.
I am doing this not just for me, but for all DC residents. I’ll keep you posted from my room at St. Elizabeths….
hahaha #1.
So a judicial panel composed of JUDGES failed to judge whether one of their own should continue to be a judge? Where do I file an appeal to THAT decision?
THE ARISTOCRATS!
#1 -Don't forget to wheel out your ailing grandma to tell the jury the only thing that comes close to your treatment by DCPW is the way those Nazis treated the Jews.
Although I'm sure everyone on the panel agrees that Pearson shouldn't be a judge, there are probably some employment procedures/laws that make it difficult to remove him from office. The guy may be a loon, but if Pearson hasn't broken any laws or made any ethics violations, a wrongful termination charge is, unfortunately, a plausible outcome (especially given Pearson's wont to sue anything that moves).
Do any attorneys out there care to weigh in?
As your attorney, I advise you to take a hit out of the little brown bottle in my shaving kit. You won't need much, just a tiny taste.
I'm sure as #5 points out that the judge panel is worried about Pearson filing a $100 billion trillion dollar lawsuit for wrongful termination if he is indeed fired.
That said, Pearson's lack of good judgement in his pants/suit seems to me to be a good argument for him not sitting on the bench, if for no other reason than not forcing the janitors to wipe his ass-prints off the furniture.
I would think that just filing such a frivolous lawsuit would be make him seam unfit for the bench. And while he's had plenty of chances to drop the suit, instead he chooses to press on. He's clearly flying by the seat of his pants. While all of us are in stitches over this, I should think that the administrators are getting pretty steamed. I hope he gets taken to the cleaners.
Actually, the lawsuit was $65 million then $54 million, not the other way around.
What exactly does an "administrative law judge" do, anyway?
Butt if Pearson is dropped by his employer, you know he'll feel the need to pleat his case to a judge and get his ex-boss cuffed. He couldn't pocket any money from the dry cleaners despite the elaborate case he belt, so if he thinks he can get a leg up you know he'll litiguously fly off the handle. Jesus Creased!
Point of clarification -- aren't they talking about renewing him -- not firing him. So it should just mean that he finished his term and is not continuing. Why is this not a no-brainer????
Should Pantsless Pearson keep his gown? Believe it or not, lawyers say his suit was not technically frivolous, but his behavior demonstrated a certain lack of judicial temperament. Expected result: Judge Pearson will be defrocked.
True, but those darn administrators can't let fear of being suit cloud their judgment. This will never get sewn up until they stop hemming and hawing. We're all having fun needling Pearson, button the other hand, the plaintiffs must be seeing thread.
Er.. defendants, that is :-)
Um, defrocked is what they do to naughty priests, not judges.
Marc Fisher says the delay is just to figure out the wording of Pearson's non-renewal letter.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/?hpid=topnews
Everett: Sure, priests get defrocked, but "de-gowned" doesn't have the same ring, and the guy's already been de-pantsed.
If this guy brings a multi-million dollar suit over a lost pair of slacks, into the already overworked court system, he has proven that he does not have the commen sense of a flea, and should be removed.
Doesn't look like he's got much chance of keeping his job. Apparently his boss described him as "an annoyance like a mosquito bite" and said that “the pants lawsuit was actually not unexpected, knowing the personality" according to the Legal Times blog -- http://legaltimes.typepad.com/
Nate: an ALJ rules on complaints and disputes brought by the public against the administrative agency which hired him/her. They're usually the ground floor for disputes before they go into civil court.
Meanwhile, I have faith that Pearson will go, as public outcry against the District promises to be loud and unending if his ass isn't canned.
What a Dirtbag this guy Pearson is. He put this poor immigrant family into a total state of dis-repair for working their asses off pursuing the American Dream. Not only should he get fired. He should get his ass kicked.