A Texas state judge on Thursday denied Arnold & Itkin LLP’s bid to disqualify the law firm defending drilling rig owner Transocean Ltd. in litigation stemming from Hurricane Zeta. The decision came after Arnold & Itkin claimed that one of the defense lawyers, Karina Sanchez-Peralta, had worked as a law clerk at Arnold & Itkin in 2022 and improperly sent herself confidential information about the Hurricane Zeta litigation before leaving the firm.
The judge found that Arnold & Itkin had not shown any substantial connection between Sanchez-Peralta’s past work at the firm and the ongoing litigation. Harris County District Judge Rabeea Collier issued a brief order denying the disqualification motion, stating that Arnold & Itkin had not demonstrated that Sanchez-Peralta’s prior work was substantially related to the current case. Furthermore, the judge noted that the plaintiffs had failed to prove that they would suffer any prejudice if disqualification was not granted.
Ahmad Zavitsanos partner John Zavitsanos expressed his approval of the decision, stating, “Above all, we are delighted that the name and character of our first-year lawyer was cleared by the court.” He also commented that the disqualification motion was a tactic to divert attention away from more material issues in the case.
