Schuelke Law - January 2022

Schuelke Law - January 2022

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January 2022

One of My Biggest Legal Honors 2020’s Scott Ozmun Trial Lawyer of the Year Recipient

As children, we are often presented with many opportunities to win an award or trophy. Whether it’s winning the spelling bee in school or winning the championship with a Little League team, there’s no shortage of chances for kids to win some hardware. As we age, there are fewer of these opportunities. It can take a lot of dedication and luck to be recognized with an award in the professional community. This past November, I was shocked and humbled to receive the 2020 Scott Ozmun Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from the Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association. You’ll notice it’s the 2020 award, not 2021, since it was delayed due to COVID-19. This award is handed out every year to an outstanding attorney for their commitment to the law, their clients, and public service. There are a few different components that help the Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association decide who wins the award. The first is, of course, being a good lawyer. I have had the wonderful privilege to work with so many people and help them through some incredibly difficult times. It’s been an honor to serve and fight for the people in our community and get them what they rightfully deserve. The other major component is a dedication to the community and public service. I have long believed that we have a duty and obligation to serve our communities. When handing out the award, there were several different things the presenter noted. In

the legal field, I was the past president of the Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association and have been on the executive committee for several years since then. The presenter also noted that I was one of three founders and served on the board of a nonprofit legal clinic that provides free and low-cost services to immigrants and immigration services. Additionally, the group noted work done outside the law. I have helped lead a project through our church where we adopted a low-income school in east Austin. We do a lot for this school, but one of the biggest things is book distribution. Over the years, we have distributed over 50,000 books to students at the school. I have also served as a mentor in the Seedling Foundation for nearly 13 years, which is a local nonprofit that provides mentors to students whose caregivers are incarcerated. I have been working with my current mentee, a high school junior, since he was in pre-k. It’s a huge honor to be named Trial Lawyer of the Year, especially since the award is named after Judge Ozmun. Judge Ozmun was such a giant in our field and served as a role model for many. He fought for the underprivileged in our community and the courtroom. I’m extremely lucky to consider him a friend and a colleague. It’s a humbling experience to win this award and join a long list of distinguished winners. It’s also an incentive for me to keep up the hard work, in the legal community and beyond, to help uphold Judge Ozmun’s legacy. “This award is handed out every year to an outstanding attorney for their commitment to the law, their clients, and public service.”

-C. Brooks Schuelke

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How Much Are Your Favorite Pants Worth? One Man Estimated His at $54 Million

Everyone knows that the perfect pair of pants can be hard to come by, but are they worth $54 million? Administrative Judge Roy L. Pearson had a favorite pair of pants, but in 2007, he claimed that Custom Cleaners lost them and returned a completely different pair instead. It all began when Pearson took his pants to the Washington, D.C., dry cleaners for alterations worth $10.50. The pants were sent in error to the incorrect dry cleaner, so Pearson’s pickup was delayed by several

though, was the company’s failure to live up to their “Satisfaction Guaranteed” and “Same Day Service” signs in the window.

The media had a field day, joking about the case as a “pantsuit” and inspiring a “Law & Order” episode called “Bottomless.” Pearson seemed to relish the spectacle, calling his lawsuit “an awesome responsibility” in court and breaking down into tears on the stand. He also called a witness who compared the Chungs to Nazis. Even though the Chungs offered him a $12,000 settlement to make the case go away, Pearson persevered. He ultimately lost his case. At the end of the trial, the judge declared that no reasonable person would consider the signs at Custom Cleaners to be an unconditional promise — and also that Pearson had failed to prove the returned pants weren’t his. The Chungs ultimately recovered their court costs via a fundraiser, and Pearson lost his judicial appointment. Unsurprisingly, this prompted another lawsuit, which he also lost. In 2020, Pearson was suspended from practicing law for 90 days as a result of his actions in Pearson v. Chung . But for bringing new meaning to the phase “I’ll sue the pants off of you,” his place in legal history is secure.

days. Once the pants were returned, despite bearing all the correct tags and matching his receipt, Pearson declared that the pants were not his. When the dry cleaner refused his demand for $1,000 compensation, he decided it was time for legal action. Pearson originally sued the cleaner’s owners, Soo Chung, Jin Nam Chung, and Ki Y. Chung, for a whopping $67 million in damages but later reduced the claim to a far more reasonable $54 million. In his suit, Pearson requested $3 million for mental distress, $90,000 for a rental car to visit another dry cleaner, and $500,000 in attorney’s fees (Pearson represented himself). At the heart of his claim,

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