A single late-night text has snowballed into a federal courtroom controversy. Patrick McCabe, once a partner at Holland & Knight LLP, has formally apologized for sending a message to his ex-wife that implied a federal judge had been bribed in an ongoing lawsuit.
The message, fired off on Sept. 9, accused the judge of being “bought off” after tossing out one of McCabe’s counterclaims. That allegation was enough to rattle the judiciary: U.S. District Judge John Milton Younge stayed the lawsuit and ordered mediation, stalling a case already marred by personal and professional battles.
Fallout From a Single Message
In a declaration filed Tuesday, McCabe admitted his words were born of “frustration and emotional weakness.” He apologized to both Judge Younge and the court for the disruption, pledging never again to discuss the matter with his ex-wife, Kristy Fischer, an attorney at Fritz & Bianculli LLC.
But the damage was done. The firm, locked in a fierce dispute with McCabe, quickly moved for sanctions, attaching a screenshot of the text:
“How much did that cost your boss in bribes?”
Fischer allegedly shot back: “Stop harassing me.”
The exchange became the flashpoint in an already bitter lawsuit, intertwining accusations of betrayal, unlawful snooping, and now—judicial integrity.
