A corporate lawyer got his ear pierced in court by a Claire’s employee, all because of a hilarious deal. Joshua Sussberg, Kirkland and Ellis’ attorney, promised a judge he would get a piercing in court if he managed to find a buyer for the retail chain that was struggling to stay afloat, according to PEOPLE.
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Claire’s Lawyer Gets Ear Pierced In Court After Saving Them From Bankruptcy
Claire’s had already filed for bankruptcy twice, the second time being this summer. He made this agreement on August 7 during one of its bankruptcy hearings.
Claire’s meant a lot to Sussberg’s partner, Alexandra Schwarzman, as she had gotten her own ears pierced at one of its many stores. Even the lawyer’s daughters had gotten their ears pierced there, too.
When Schwarzman told the courtroom that her partner loved Claire’s just as much as she did, everyone laughed. Sussberg had an ear pierced at a Claire’s in Boca Raton, Florida, when he was in high school.
Judge Shannon couldn’t believe it when Schwarzman displayed a 1995 photo of Sussberg with the piercing. “No way,” said the judge. “Absolutely,” replied Schwarzman.
“Ms. Schwarzman, you have made my day,” said Judge Shannon.
“I will clarify, as I think you can tell from the picture, I did have a full head of hair at that point in time,” said Sussberg.
“The ear has nothing in it at this moment, but I am prepared to head back to Claire’s if people are willing to keep it alive, as I think everybody should.”
“Mr. Sussberg, that seems like a gauntlet has been thrown down,” replied the judge. “And I will hold you to it and it may actually spur market interest.”
“It would be my absolute greatest pleasure, Your Honor,” Sussberg said.
How Lawyer Made Good With Promise
It was after that day that Sussberg knew he had to take on this challenge. By August 21 at the next hearing, lawyers revealed that Ames Watson, a private equity company, had signed a purchase agreement.
The judge made sure to remind Sussberg of his promise. “I think the third prong was that Mr. Sussberg is going to get an earring if this succeeds,” they said.
“Absolutely,” Schwarzman replied. “Yes. And I am committed to that. We’re talking about coordinating some in-court ear piercing if we’re successful.”
At the start of the hearing, after the sale was approved on September 9, Sussberg got it done. “We do have two Claire’s employees here in the courtroom with us to help Mr. Sussberg make good on his promise,” said Schwarzman.
Jokingly, Judge Shannon said it was “a gutsy move” for Sussberg to wear “a crisp white shirt.” They also joked, “We’re going to find out if you’re a crier, too.”
Tiffany Rivera, a Claire’s employee, decided to give him the piercing. She had been working at the company for over a decade, so Sussberg could certainly trust her.
Rivera also had to bring in her own piercing equipment. “I had to make a phone call to the Marshals Service to get that thing through,” said the judge.
Sussberg was proud to go through with his deal. “It felt great to follow through on my pledge because it meant that Claire’s was going to survive,” said the lawyer.
“Close to 1,000 stores would remain open, thousands of people like Ms. Rivera would keep their jobs, and the next generation would have the opportunity to experience Claire’s like so many generations before.”