In the same relentless manner with which he contended that his lost pants were worth $54 million, D.C. Administrative Law Judge Roy Pearson Jr. on Thursday night lobbied for his job.
For three hours behind closed doors, the “pants judge,” whose lawsuit against a Korean dry cleaners became a national symbol of runaway litigation, made an impassioned plea to the five-member judiciary commission to be allowed to stay on the bench.
Pearson argued that the panel could not terminate him for suing the dry cleaners because he had a constitutional right to seek compensation for the lost trousers, a source said.
He also claimed that he could not be fired over letters critical of his boss because he was protected as a whistle-blower intent on exposing corruption within the agency where he worked.
In the end, a plea earned him a reprieve, at least until next week.
One of the five judges had to leave for a prior commitment after three hours of oral arguments by Pearson. The commission was expected to pick up the matter early Monday.
Before the adjournment, Pearson had pulled out all the stops in a power plea to save his job, one insider said. But it was far from clear that he had managed to forestall his ouster, said the source close to the proceeding.
Over the last few months, the commission has reviewed a number of issues and court documents, in addition to Pearson’s behavior in pursuing the suit. It also examined a Virginia court order that Pearson pay his ex-wife $12,000 for “creating unnecessary litigation” during their divorce.
Since Pearson’s two-year term expired in April, he has remained employed by the District as an attorney adviser for the D.C. Office of Hearings, the agency that employs the administrative law judges who oversee disputes between the city’s agencies and residents and businesses.
The case drew worldwide attention and was a punch-line for late-night comedians. Legal reformers used the case to call for a stop to frivolous lawsuits. Many questioned how the city could allow Pearson to judge others.
