Cross Country
State legislators in Sacramento, Calif., passed the bill last year to help contain a common litter problem and to ensure the safety of marine animals, which often become entangled in or ingest plastic. The bill was sponsored by Democratic Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, who said he was struck by the number of plastic bags hanging from trees in his home district of Van Nuys. "Californians use over 19 billion plastic grocery bags each year," he said, "creating 147,038 tons of unnecessary waste."
Only in America: a Suit Over Suit Pants
A $54 million lawsuit filed by a Washington, D.C., judge against a dry cleaner for allegedly losing his pants has prompted a chorus of commentators nationwide, and their opinions sound nearly unanimous: Roy Pearson must be out of his mind.
Pearson's case is against Virginia residents Soo and Jin Chung, who own the Custom Cleaner and two other dry cleaners in Washington. He claims they lost a pair of suit pants he took in for alterations, thus violating the two commandments displayed on the cleaner's wall: "Same Day Service" and "Satisfaction Guaranteed."
Rather than accepting any of the Chungs' offers of restitution, he sued the Chungs for violating the D.C. Consumer Protection and Procedures Act. Legal commentators have generally blamed vague wording in the law for allowing the case to go forward, and several groups, including the American Tort Reform Association, have complained about Pearson to the D.C. bar or Pearson's bosses. A decision is expected this week.
With Nikki Schwab, Will Sullivan, Alison Go and Chris Wilson
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