A California judge’s misconduct accusations against Sullivan & Cromwell attorneys in litigation stemming from Volkswagen AG’s emissions scandal were unfounded, according to a federal appeals court.

In a ruling Tuesday, a panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed an order denying a motion to intervene from Volkswagen in a Freedom of Information Act case and said the record did not support the district judge’s allegations that the automaker’s counsel misrepresented the record.