The Arizona Supreme Court sided with a Phoenix lawyer in a special action Monday, concluding that a sanctions order against him in an underlying federal lawsuit does not preclude him from arguing his side of the matter in a related state disciplinary action.

Graeme Hancock, a Phoenix-based attorney for Young Life International, an evangelical Christian organization for youth, must have an opportunity to explain his side of the story that led to a sanctions order against him in an underlying lawsuit, according to the Arizona Supreme Court’s opinion filed Monday.