Summer Intern Fired After Allegedly Biting Coworkers

Turnover is expected at summer jobs, but one intern at a prestigious New York City law firm was let go for an unusual reason.

Insiders tell the legal news site Above the Law that a summer associate at Sidley Austin reportedly bit colleagues and roared at them during her first day on the job.

One report noted that the bites were not “in an aggressive, ‘we’re beefing’ way” – but rather, “a faux-quirky manic pixie dream girl crossed with the Donner party vibe."

The writer of the report said that they had seen photos of the aftermath of one of the woman's bites, and suggested that saying she "nibbled" would be "too tame a word."

The report noted that the decision was made after what appeared to be internal debate, as the intern was otherwise personable. One user on X said that the intern bit at least 10 people, ranging from other interns to a rep from human resources.

“It was such a repeated thing that her officemate started wearing long sleeve shirts to the office because she kept getting bit,” the person said.

The firm has not commented on the matter, but a source told the New York Post that the intern "only" bit five employees instead of some of the more outlandish figures being spread online.

“People are outright making things up at this point,” one Reddit user said, a person who claimed to work with the intern at the firm.

“I just want to ask people to please remember that there’s a human being on the other end of this story — someone whose mental health is a genuine concern, and who is probably feeling like her life is ruined right now. She made a really stupid mistake and has paid the price for it."

Sidley Austin handles “complex transactional, restructuring, crisis management, investigation, regulatory and litigation matters,” according to the company's website.

The prestigious law firm has 21 offices around the world, and is headquartered in Chicago. Barack and Michelle Obama met at the firm's Chicago office, where the former president was once a summer associate.