Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas

Contact: Kirsten Voinis (512-922-7141)
May 3, 2007

Austin - Lawsuit abuse is alive and well as a big city lawyer sued his dry cleaner for a whopping $65 million over a pair of pants, according to Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA). The lawyer currently serves as an administrative law judge in Washington, D.C.

"It is stupid to think a small business could lose its shirt over a pair of pants," said Bill Summers, president and founder of CALA of the Rio Grande Valley. "While this case is not filed in Texas and may seem laughable to us, it clearly shows that the problem of lawsuit abuse is serious and continues to undermine justice."

According to news reports, the family who owns the D.C.-based dry cleaner has spent more than two years and untold thousands of dollars to fight this lawsuit.

"This ridiculous suit has siphoned thousands of small business dollars out of the economy and used the court's resources that could be better spent to provide justice for the truly injured," said Kirsten Voinis, spokesperson for CALA of Central Texas. "It's sad indeed to add dirty laundry to the growing list of junk lawsuits in our courthouses."

CALA of Central Texas is reinforcing this message with billboards on busses running through Austin, warning citizens that; “Lawsuit abuse hurts small businesses, threatens jobs and costs you $$$.”

"The dry cleaner shakedown suit is just the latest - and low - example of baseless or irrational cases that clog up our court system," said Connie Scott, executive director of Bay Area Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse. "Our courts should be used for justice, not greed. When the system is abused, we all pay and we all lose."