In case you missed the update in the post from earlier today, Roy Pearson has this afternoon filed paperwork to the D.C. Court of Appeals indicating he intends to appeal the judge’s decision in his $54 million civil lawsuit against Custom Cleaners. In June, D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff ruled in favor of the defendants, the Chung family, owners of Custom Cleaners, finding that “nothing in the law supports (the) position” that Pearson, an administrative law judge in the District, took on the issue of the “Satisfaction Guaranteed” sign that had hung inside Custom Cleaners — a sign which he claimed entitled him to $54 million under the Consumer Protection Act after the Chungs misplaced his favorite pair of pants.
Yesterday, the Chungs withdrew their petition to be awarded more than $80,000 in attorney fees, saying they had raised enough to cover their expenses through fundraisring, and that they hoped Pearson would accept the gesture as an “olive branch” to put the case behind all of them. Chris Manning, attorney for the Chungs, issued a statement reacting to the filing:
The Chungs continue to be baffled by Mr. Pearson’s actions but are very confident they will prevail on appeal and end this case once and for all. …
Mr. Pearson had a choice today – to make peace and acknowledge the Chungs’ amazing generosity in absolving him of paying their fees or to continue with this ridiculous case and meritlessly appeal.
Mr. Pearson, unfortunately, chose desperate irrationality over common sense and decided to appeal—unnecessarily costing the parties’ more wasted time and the DC taxpayers more wasted money.
As the Post story points out, today’s filing doesn’t guarantee Pearson will follow through with his appeal, but when it comes to Pearson, we now find it hard to believe he won’t see it through to the bitter end. If this latest development isn’t irrefutable evidence that he should not be a judge, we don’t know what is.