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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.

A Case Entangled in Divorce and Data Access

The underlying litigation paints a messy picture. Fritz & Bianculli has accused McCabe of improperly accessing its client records while at Holland & Knight, allegedly to dig up evidence of Fischer’s relationship with firm co-founder Brian Fritz during their divorce.

The suit also claims McCabe violated the Stored Communications Act by rifling through Fischer’s emails. Alongside McCabe, Holland & Knight and former firm attorneys Jean Donohue and Eric Berg are named as defendants.

Initially filed in Pennsylvania state court with five claims, the case was moved to federal court, where some allegations were trimmed earlier this year.

Counterclaims, Sanctions, and Mediation

McCabe responded with his own counterclaims—defamation, malicious prosecution, and abuse of process. But on the same day he sent the incendiary text, Judge Younge dismissed his defamation claim, ruling that statements made in litigation cannot serve as the basis for defamation. Two of McCabe’s counterclaims survived.

Now, with the bribery allegation hanging in the air, the lawsuit has been sent to mediation. U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond has scheduled a session for Sept. 25.

George Bochetto, attorney for Fritz & Bianculli, called McCabe’s accusation “deeply troubling … not just for the parties and judge in this case, but for the bar and judiciary more broadly.”