In what is certainly welcome news for amateur legal humorists everywhere, Roy Pearson has filed another lawsuit. As you may recall (see, e.g., "Judge Drops Pants; Suit Still On," Lowering the Bar (June 6, 2007)), Pearson was formerly Judge Pearson, but ultimately lost his job after adverse publicity due to a lawsuit he filed demanding millions in compensation for a pair of lost pants. A D.C. judge dismissed Pearson's claims after a trial in which, among other things, Pearson wept on the stand when describing how his dry cleaners had allegedly mistreated him.
In the new lawsuit, filed this time in federal court, Pearson alleges that he was actually fired for exposing corruption within the department where he worked. He says he was a protected whistleblower and that the media circus in which the pants occupied the center ring was just the city's pretext for getting rid of him.
Pearson now wants his job back. He is also seeking $1 million in damages, or approximately $64 million less than he sought for the loss of the treasured pants.
Link: Washington Post
