Lost Laptop Prompts $54 Million Lawsuit

Nearly six months after a judge threw out a $54 million lawsuit against a dry cleaners over a lost pair of pants, a District of Columbia woman is suing Best Buy Inc. for the same amount over a lost laptop.

In her lawsuit, 37-year-old Raelyn Campbell says she wants to draw attention to the consumer electronics retailer's consumer property and privacy-protection practices.

She tells The (Washington) Examiner she spent six months trying to get Best Buy to explain what happened to a computer that she took in for repairs.

It contained personal information and she contends the company violated D.C. law by failing to tell her about the exposure to identify theft.

Best Buy spokeswoman Nissa French says Campbell has already received $1,110 for the laptop and a $500 gift.

The $54 million lawsuit against the dry cleaners forced the establishment to close, even though no damages were awarded.

The South Korean immigrants who owned the shop cited a loss of revenue and the emotional strain of defending the lawsuit.

Soo Chung and her husband Jin Nam Chung spent more than two years in litigation after a former customer at Custom Cleaners alleged they had lost a pair of his pants, then sued for $67 million under the District of Columbia's strict consumer protection act.

Plaintiff Roy L. Pearson, a local administrative law judge, later lowered his demand to $54 million. He said the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Same Day Service" signs that once hung in the shop were misleading and fraudulent.

The case went to trial in June and a D.C. Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the Chungs, awarding Pearson nothing. Pearson is appealing.

The Chungs spent more than $100,000 for the lawsuit, expenses which eventually were paid with help from fundraisers and donations.