L.A. Firm Beats Costco’s Bid to Disqualify It Based on Conflict

Costco Wholesale Corp. can’t disqualify the plaintiff’s firm litigating a California woman’s slip-and-fall suit merely because one of its law clerks worked for the discount retailer’s counsel, according to a state appellate court ruling.

Federico Stea worked at Yukevich Cavanaugh as a law clerk while in school, and while waiting for results from the California Bar exam. During that time, he was assigned to the team of litigators handling the defense of Costco in several different cases, the company said. Yukevich left Stea and later accepted a law clerk job at the Los Angeles-based Vaziri Law Group.

Rocio Devora sued ...