A Florida divorce lawyer missed a hearing while in jail for not paying alimony
A Florida Bar case pending against a Florida divorce lawyer concerned a client’s hearing the lawyer missed because she was in the Hernando County jail on a contempt of court charge.
The reason Dorothy Hufnagel was jailed: not paying court-ordered alimony to her former spouse.
With that and five other Florida Bar cases over her head, Hufnagel cut the professional rope, petitioning for disciplinary revocation. That means the Bar cases go away. But in return, the Spring Hill lawyer gets booted from the Bar for at least five years and any civil or criminal matters associated with the Bar cases remain unaffected.
“Disciplinary revocation is tantamount to disbarment,” the Florida Supreme Court says when it grants such petitions, which it did Aug. 7 for Hufnagel.
Hufnagel, a 60-year-old who graduated from Barry University’s School of Law in 2005 and joined the Bar later that year, had an otherwise clean 10-year discipline history.
READ MORE: Supreme Court suspends license of Coral Gables attorney accused of swindling clients
The missed hearing case was the most recent of the cases against Hufnagel. From Hufnagel’s disciplinary revocation petition:
- The case alleged Hufnagel, “failed to appear for a court hearing, and it was learned that (she) was incarcerated for failure to pay court-ordered alimony to her former spouse.” Hernando County Sheriff’s Office jail records say Hufnagel was booked into jail the morning of May 30 on a contempt of court charge and posted $21,971 bond on June 3 at 2:04 p.m.
- Hufnagel is accused of taking payment to file dissolution of marriage (divorce) papers in December 2024, but “did not complete any work on the client’s behalf.” The client claimed Hufnagel couldn’t be contacted by phone, email or text.
- A client said Hufnagel didn’t file a divorce petition in a timely manner and “was not responsive to communications.” The client said Hufnagel didn’t let her know the divorce hadn’t been filed and “the other party filed a petition months after the dissolution documents were provided to [Hufnagel].”
- A client said after accepting a retainer to represent him in a possible divorce, Hufnagel didn’t do any work. After changing his mind about the divorce and asking for a refund, the client said Hufnagel “acknowledged no work was performed and said she would refund the deposit to the client.” He never got the refund, and reaching Hufnagel has been “difficult and often unsuccessful.”
- A petition for divorce was dismissed for lack of service. “The client was not notified by [Hufnagel] that her petition for dissolution was dismissed for lack of service. The client has alleged that petitioner did not handle her matter competently or diligently...”
- Another petition that was dismissed for lack of service, another client who says Hufnagel left her in ignorant of the dismissal and another client who says Hufnagel “was not responsive to communications and did not handle her matter competently or diligently.”
This story was originally published September 2, 2025 at 3:52 PM with the headline "A Florida divorce lawyer missed a hearing while in jail for not paying alimony."
