Thursday, August 16, 2007

As one of the tort reformers who reportedly "vilified" D.C. Administrative Law Judge Roy L. Pearson's internationally infamous multimillion-dollar lawsuit against his neighborhood dry cleaners, I couldn't help smiling when reading of his ironic argument against the court ordering him to pay the defendants' attorney's fees ["Dry Cleaners Cut Plaintiff Some Slack," Metro, Aug. 14].

Mr. Pearson reasoned that since the American Tort Reform Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had raised enough money to cover most of those fees, forcing him to pay, too, would amount to granting the defendants an undeserved "windfall."

Of course, the notion of a windfall didn't seem to bother him much when he sought $500,000 in attorney's fees from the defendants to compensate him for his service as his own attorney throughout this ludicrous case, which he could have ended at any time.

DARREN McKINNEY

Director of Communications

American Tort Reform Association

Washington