Local News in Brief : Tustin : Lawyer Disbarred by Order of High Court

The state Supreme Court has ordered the disbarment of Gordon W. Farnham of Tustin, who was found to have stopped working on cases for a series of clients, falsely told several of them that he had scheduled hearings for them and refused to return fees.

In its ruling Thursday, the court unanimously upheld a recommendation by the State Bar.

In April, the State Bar Court, a disciplinary arm, ruled that Farnham presented “a substantial threat to his clients and to the public” and suspended his right to practice law.

A State Bar spokesman said that Farnham was accused of telling several clients that he was pursuing their cases involving domestic disputes, adoptions and probate matters, when in fact he was not.

Farnham’s disciplinary record dates back more than a decade. In 1976, the California Supreme Court suspended him for abandoning his clients in two cases. The justices found that in those cases, he never filed lawsuits that he had told his clients he would. They also discovered that Farnham had continued working despite a suspension.