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People Magazine
- Kirkland and Ellis attorney Joshua Sussberg got his ear pierced by a Claire’s employee in a courtroom this month
- During a bankruptcy hearing earlier this summer, he’d promised to do so if he was able to find a buyer for the retail chain
- Sure enough, after an agreement to sell Claire’s to a private equity firm was approved, he followed through with his promise on Sept. 9
Earlier this month, a corporate lawyer underwent what’s become a rite of passage for millions of people nationwide: Getting an ear piercing from a Claire’s employee. But this time, the procedure unfolded in a courtroom rather than a crowded mall.
Kirkland and Ellis attorney Joshua Sussberg had promised a judge he’d mark the occasion with a piercing if he was able to find a buyer for the struggling retail chain, which has filed for bankruptcy twice, most recently this summer.
The agreement came about during a bankruptcy hearing on Aug. 7, after Sussberg’s partner Alexandra Schwarzman noted the girls’ jewelry and accessories brand held a special place in her heart since she’d gotten her ears pierced at one of its stores, Sussberg told PEOPLE. Judge Brendan Shannon noted his daughters had, too.
Schwarzman made the courtroom laugh when she announced the chain’s popularity had extended to Sussberg, who said he had his ear pierced at a Claire’s located in the Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, Fla., during high school.
She then displayed a 1995 photo of him flaunting the bling, Sussberg said.
“No way,” Judge Shannon said of Sussberg’s teenage piercing, to which Schwarzman replied, “Absolutely,” according to a court transcript shared with PEOPLE.
“Ms. Schwarzman, you have made my day,” Judge Shannon said.
As that hearing drew to a close, the challenge solidified.
“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. That was 30 seasons ago,” Sussberg, who is bald, said during the hearing. “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.”
Judge Shannon replied, “Mr. Sussberg, that seems like a gauntlet has been thrown down 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.
Sure enough, at the next hearing on Aug. 21, the lawyers announced they’d signed a purchase agreement with a buyer group led by Ames Watson, a private equity company.
https://people.com/lawyer-gets-ear-pierced-in-court-claires-employee-11813222
