A defense attorney had a possible conflict of interest in representing two clients in one case when one became a witness against the other, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled.

“Divided loyalties often prove to be a source of mischief in human relations. As this case illustrates, they can also cause serious trouble for an attorney and his client,” Judge Adalberto Jordan wrote for a panel that included Circuit Judge Gerald Tjoflat and U.S. District Judge Paul Huck of Miami, sitting by designation.