St. John's dismissed as defendant in lawsuit by surgeon. (St. John's Mercy Medical Center; Dr. Arthur Misischia)

St. John's Mercy Medical Center has won a key round in a court battle with Dr. Arthur Misischia, an oral and facial surgeon who used to work at the hospital.

St. Louis Circuit Judge Robert Dierker Jr. dismissed St. John's as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by Misischia after he was fired from St. John's in 1994.

However, Dierker ruled the case against Dr. John Delfino, Misischia's former boss, can go forward. Delfino headed St. John's department of oral and maxillofacial surgery until his resignation from the chairman's post in August. He remains on the hospital staff.

Delfino also owns St. Louis Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Ltd. Misischia had an employment …