Consumer Protection

Trial of Judge’s Lost-Pants Claim Set to Begin

According to the website of the firm representing Custom Cleaners, the trial of Judge Roy Pearson’s $54-million-dollar lost-pants claims is set to begin today or tomorrow in District of Columbia Superior Court.  Apparently Judge Judith Bartnoff is presiding over another…


Judge Drops Pants; Suit Still On

New developments this week in the lawsuit by D.C. administrative law judge Roy Pearson against his local dry cleaners, alleging a diabolical pants-related scheme.  As you may recall, Pearson sued under the D.C. consumer-protection statute after the cleaners allegedly lost…


Further Details Emerge on $65-Million-Pants Lawsuit

We learned more this week about the lawsuit by a D.C. administrative law judge against his diabolical neighborhood dry cleaners, who allegedly lost or stole or set fire to or irradiated or otherwise acted tortiously towards a pair of pants…





Japanese Company Warns That Defective Toilets May Catch Fire

Toto Ltd., Japan’s leading toilet manufacturer, announced today that it was offering free repairs for a defect that had been identified in its popular "Z Series" toilets.  The company said that the defect, related to the toilets’ electrical systems, may…


WARNING: “Welsh Dragon Sausages” May Not Contain Real Dragon

In November, the Trading Standards department for Powys County, Wales, forced a sausage manufacturer to change the label of its "Welsh Dragon"-brand spicy sausage, on the grounds that the label was misleading because the product did not contain real dragon….


Wacky Warning Labels, 2006

A group called Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch runs an annual contest to find the dumbest or least necessary warning labels, and it released its 2006 list today.  The winners are: On a washing machine: "DO NOT put any person in…


New York City Now Enforcing Ban on Mystery Meat

Those of you in the New York area may be happy to know that the state’s Division of Food Safety and Inspection has recently begun enforcing laws against selling a variety of foods from, shall we say, unregulated sources. You…