Lindsay Lohan's flu excuse makes her judge sick and tired

Lindsay Lohan's flu excuse makes her judge sick and tired

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Lindsay Lohan appears in court for a pretrial hearing at the Airport Branch Courthouse of Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday.

A Los Angeles judge had a ready prescription for ailing Lindsay Lohan when the starlet waltzed into her courtroom Wednesday after claiming she had the flu: dueling doses of doubt and sarcasm.

Judge Stephanie Sautner first stared down the "Mean Girls" star -- who was clad in a sleeveless black dress and bare legs -- and shook her head dismissively.

Lohan's lawyer previously said she planned to skip the mandatory hearing due to illness, but the oft-arrested actress reconsidered at the last-minute and hopped a flight from New York that arrived in California with just hours to spare.

"Glad to see you're feeling better," Sautner said.

"Thank you," the actress replied.

Lohan's new lawyer Mark Heller also didn't react to Sautner's cynicism, inflaming the judge by claiming Lohan had an upper respiratory infection diagnosed by her personal doctor.

"Is that a cold?" Sautner asked.

"Yes. In New York City, it's the flu," Heller replied.

"No it isn't," replied Sautner, who is a former NYPD detective. "I still have New Yorker in me. The flu is a whole different (thing)."

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Heller then referred to the current flu "epidemic" in New York, saying Lohan's doctor recommended she avoid air travel "not only for her protection but that of the general public, which includes everybody in this courtroom."

"She shouldn't have come," Heller continued. "She wanted to show respect to the court, and she did feel better. And she's here."

Lohan, 26, was accompanied by mom Dina, who sat in the front row. The panicked duo took the last flight out of New York Tuesday night after learning Sautner could issue a warrant for Lindsay's arrest in the wake of photos showing Lohan shopping up a storm and puffing on a cigarette over the weekend, TMZ.com reported.

They drove from the airport to the posh seaside hotel Shutters early Wednesday but were turned away due to a history of bad behavior, TMZ said.

The judge set Lohan's next court hearing in her pending car crash case for March 1.

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Lohan's facing three misdemeanor charges: lying to a police officer, reckless driving and obstruction.

Cops say Lohan initially claimed she wasn't behind the wheel when her loaner Porsche collided with a dump truck last June, but investigators later determined she was indeed the driver. Lohan was on probation for misdemeanor shoplifting at the time of the alleged cover-up.

The three new charges carry maximum sentences ranging from 90 days to a year behind bars.

She also could get 245 days for violating her probation. Heller's former clients include "Son of Sam" serial killer David Berkowitz and reality star Jon Gosselin. He was suspended from practicing law for five years in the 1990s due to professional misconduct.

Sautner is the same judge who cautioned Lohan last year to behave in a more "mature" manner.

The warning came after Lohan finished the community service hours related to her combined shoplifting and double-DUI case.

"The only terms left ... are to obey all laws. It's not that hard. I know it's kind of hard when people are following you all over the place, but that's the life you chose," Sautner said. "You need to lead your life in a more mature way, stop the nightclubbing and focus on your work."