Attorney remains jailed for refusing to disclose anonymous plaintiffs in HOA lawsuit
A Florida attorney who was jailed for being in contempt during a legal dispute with his homeowner’s association was denied freedom by an appeals court. (Image from Shutterstock)
A Florida attorney who was jailed for being in contempt during a legal dispute with his homeowner’s association was denied freedom by an appeals court.
A judge sent Bruce Burtoff, 77, of Florida to jail for civil contempt March 4 while he was defending three of his neighbors in a 2020 lawsuit accusing the North Shore at Lake Hart homeowner’s association of mismanagement of a 1,049-home community located in southeast Orange County, Florida.
Burtoff refused to divulge the identities of two of his clients, identified in court documents by the pseudonyms as Jane Doe and John Doe, according to coverage by ClickOrlando.com. Later, a different judge dismissed the plaintiffs’ suit, calling it “incoherent.”
The HOA’s attorneys filed a motion demanding that Burtoff disclose the identities and contact information for both anonymous plaintiffs. It disputes that Burtoff is protected by attorney-client privilege preventing him from revealing his clients’ identifying information and is seeking to collect more than $300,000 in legal fees.
Lynn Sandford, the lone identified plaintiff in the case, expressed disappointed that Burtoff remains locked up.
“His incarceration is one of the most unfair, no-justice situations I’ve ever witnessed,” Sandford said.
The judge’s contempt order states that the lawyer can be released upon disclosing the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the two anonymous plaintiffs. In 2023, Burtoff filed notices in court indicating that he was withdrawing as the attorney for Jane Doe and Joe Doe because of “irreconcilable differences,” according to ClickOrlando.com.
Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.
