Sarcastic lawyer dismissed from case

MIAMI, June 20 (UPI) -- A Chicago lawyer who told a Florida bankruptcy judge he thought she was "a few french fries short of a Happy Meal," is no longer on the case.

Court records show Mount Sinai Medical Center of Greater Miami dismissed William Smith and his firm, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, from representing the hospital in a matter involving the trustee of a former rival, Crain's Chicago Business reported Wednesday.

Smith's remark last month to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurel Myerson Isicoff caused a buzz on legal blogs.

His law firm's chairman, Harvey Freishtat of Boston, was to appear in court Wednesday to tell the judge his firm "profoundly regrets that a statement that showed disrespect for the court was made by one of its partners."

Because of the remark, Smith could lose the privilege of participating in Florida cases without being licensed to practice in the state.