Judge's Pants Suit Backfires

On the news today they told us that the Washington D.C. judge that sued the dry cleaners over the loss of a pair of pants lost his case. With the ruling in favor of the defendants, the plaintiff was ordered to pay the court costs and attorney fees. After their earlier offer to settle for roughly $12,000, I'm sure they are relieved that their offer was rejected.

I really think he got off lightly. He should have known better than to file such a frivolous lawsuit over a pair of lost pants. His request for over $54 million in damages was outrageous, and as a judge, he surely knew this. In my opinion, he should have had further consequences simply for filing an obviously frivolous suit.

This case should serve to show us that as business owners, we should be aware of the local laws concerning customer satisfaction. And if we feel we are in the right, let the disgruntled customer take us to court. Don't be intimidated by the consumer's status. It doesn't change the law one bit.