Coral Springs attorney Christopher Lee Buttermore has been disbarred following a Nov. 21 Florida Supreme Court order after being found in contempt for failing to comply with previous court orders.
Buttermore already was suspended, so his disbarment was effective immediately, according the high court's two-page order. Buttermore also was required to pay $1,250 in costs, according to the order.
The Florida State Bar announced the discipline and the supreme court's order Dec. 28. Buttermore had been found in contempt for failing to comply with the terms of previous court orders, according to the state bar's announcement. Buttermore also was ordered to pay more than $16,000 in restitution to one a client but provided the bar with no proof he had paid the restitution, the bar announcement said.
In Florida, court orders are not final until time to file a rehearing motion expires. Attorneys disbarred in the state can't reapply for admission for five years. They must pass through an extensive process that includes a rigorous background check and retaking the bar exam.
Buttermore was admitted to the bar in Florida on Dec. 22, 1988, according to his profile at the state bar website.
Buttermore's first suspension was for 45 days following a January 2015 Florida Supreme Court order after he filed a consent judgment, which also included his conditional guilty plea. Buttermore admitted to accepting cases and fees but then failed to take significant action in his clients' behalf, according to the consent judgment.
Buttermore was suspended again, this time until further court order, following a March 2016 state supreme court order after he was found in contempt for failing to respond to a show cause order. Under that order, Buttermore was to remain suspended until he fully responded in writing to the state bar's official inquiry.
Buttermore was suspended yet again, this time for six months, following a Florida Supreme Court order handed down in March. His last suspension, for one year, followed a state high court order handed down in May after Buttermore was found in contempt of the court's March 2016 order.