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On July 25, 2007, a court in Washington, D.C. ruled against a plaintiff (and a judge) who sued a Korean dry cleaners for $54 million in damages for losing his suit pants, finding that “satisfaction guaranteed” was not an unconditional, literal promise. The Court made the judge pay the cleaner’s court costs and is considering whether an award of attorney’s fees will also be made against the judge.

Philip Hoffman, a Pryor Cashman litigation partner, was asked by CRM Buyer’s Erika Morphy whether the decision was an unfavorable one for consumers and would set a bad precedent. Hoffman responded that “no precedent has been set that will help small businesses or consumers.” 

As noted by Hoffman in the article which appeared in CRM Buyer on June 25, 2007, “the damages sought had no relationship whatsoever to any damage the judge may have suffered. By seeking $54 million – as opposed to $54 – he lost all credibility.  He should have brought his claim in small claims court or before Judge Judy, where it belonged.”

To read the entire article, please click here.