July 16 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's electric vehicle maker

Tesla has replaced its longtime law firm in a

California class action, court records show, swapping a team

from Cravath, Swaine & Moore with attorneys from Wilmer Cutler

Pickering Hale and Dorr.

The change was finalized last week when Cravath dropped out

of the consumer antitrust case. Tesla is fighting claims that it

has monopolized the market for parts and service for its

vehicles, causing consumers to pay artificially higher prices.

New York's Cravath, known for its Wall Street deals work and

litigation, and Wilmer, one of Washington, D.C.'s most prominent

firms, both have long represented Tesla or Musk.

Court filings in the Tesla case do not provide a reason for

the legal team shakeup. Tesla, Wilmer and Cravath did not

respond to requests for comment.

A judge refused to dismiss the Tesla vehicle owners'

proposed class action in June. Wilmer attorneys made their first

appearance for Tesla in court papers days later. Tesla's new

legal team again denied the plaintiffs' claims in a new filing

on Monday.

Musk is also represented by lawyers at Cravath in Delaware

litigation challenging his $56 billion Tesla pay package.

In that case, Musk and the firm faced a setback in January

when a judge invalidated the billionaire entrepreneur's

"unfathomable" compensation. Tesla shareholders in June voted in

support of Musk's pay, but the vote did not end the Delaware

case.

Late last month lawyers from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart &

Sullivan, another go-to Musk law firm, were added to the defense

in the Delaware litigation. The Quinn team includes Alex Spiro,

one of Musk's most high-profile lawyers.

Quinn Emanuel had no immediate comment about its role in the

litigation.

Wilmer is already defending Tesla in an ongoing antitrust

battle in New Orleans, where the firm has asked a U.S. appeals

court to revive the company's lawsuit over the state's

direct-to-consumer sales ban for cars. The firm did not

represent Tesla in the lower court.

The Wilmer team for Tesla in the California class action

includes partners David Gringer and Ari Holtzblatt. The

departing Cravath team included David Marriott and Vanessa

Lavely.

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