According to the American Bar Association, there are more than one million lawyers in the United States. This means that one in about every 300 people in the United States is an attorney.

America is increasingly becoming a litigious society. With less than 5% of the world’s population, our society boasts about 70% of the world’s lawyers. 18 million lawsuits are filed annually, clogging the dockets and forcing the wheels of justice to grind more slowly and creak more loudly than ever before.

Is there something wrong with the Americal legal system? To me, this story shows us that there is.

Roy Pearson, a lawyer in Washington DC and recently appointed to the bench, wanted to show up for his first day on the job as a judge wearing his gray pants with the red stripes. The only problem was that the dry cleaner had lost the pants. This, I am sure, put a slight damper on his buoyant spirits. Everyone wants to show up for the first day on a new job feeling confident in their clothing choices. Roy Pearson didn’t get to wear those pants. However, he is still a judge and well, we move on from disappointments, don’t we?

Judge Pearson hasn’t moved on. In fact, he is suing the immigrant owners of the dry cleaning store for his pants and his inconvenience. He calculates these to be worth $67 million.

That’s right, $67 million dollars because the dry cleaners couldn’t find his favorite pair of pants. In addition to the pants, he claims damages such as “mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort,”. Apparently, all his other pants are a bit tight, which is why he took them to the Chungs in the first place. He wanted an alteration that costs $10.50. He is also asking for ten years worth of car rentals to transport his pants to another dry cleaner and although he represents himself in the case, has added attorney’s fees onto his already outrageous monetary demand.

The owners of the dry cleaners are Korean immigrants who, like so many, came to the US seeking the American dream. Now, after spending thousands of dollars in legal fees, Jin and Soon Chung wonder if they wouldn’t have been better off staying in Korea.

I have a hard time imagining that a jury is going to be very sympathetic to Judge Pearson’s case. The very first settlement offer the Chungs made to him – at $3000 – was already more than three times what the pants were worth and they upped the offer considerably to as much as $12,000 for the $800 pair of pants. In the meantime, the Chungs say they have found the lost pants, but Pearson continues to pursue his lawsuit.