Attorney Disqualification Order Reversed.

In a Lemon Law case brought under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act [Civil Code section 1790], Ford Motor Company successfully moved to disqualify plaintiff’s lawyer on grounds the lawyer previously defended Ford in other Lemon Law cases. The appellate court reversed the attorney disqualification order, stating:  “The trial court abused its discretion in concluding that the prior cases were substantially related to the current case just because they involved claims under the same statute.” Khani v. Ford Motor Company (Cal. App. Second Dist., Div. 4; April 25, 2013) 215 Cal.App.4th 916.