SAN JOSE — Saying he had “real concerns” with the actions of Paul Hastings, a Santa Clara County judge sounded ready Wednesday to boot the firm off trade secrets litigation between semiconductor rivals SK Hynix Inc. and SanDisk Corp.

Lawyers for Paul Hastings, which represents Hynix, vehemently defended the firm Wednesday, denying accusations that it would be betraying client Toshiba Corp. by continuing in the case.