JEFFERSON CITY — Lee's Summit attorney Susan E. Van Note, acquitted more than two years ago in the 2010 double homicide of her father and his longtime girlfriend, has been disbarred by default following a March 22 Missouri Supreme Court order.
Van Note failed to respond to "a recommendation for discipline and suggestions in support thereof" filed by the office of chief disciplinary counsel and the state Supreme Court disbarred the attorney by default, according to the court's order.
The order referred to "information" filed by the chief disciplinary counsel "that there is probable cause to believe" Van Note "is guilty of professional misconduct" but the order did not disclose the information or describe the alleged professional misconduct.
The court also ordered Van Note to pay costs.
On Feb.14, 2017, a 26th Judicial Circuit jury in Laclede County found Van Note not guilty in the Oct. 2, 2010 shooting and stabbing deaths of Van Note's father, Liberty businessman William Van Note, and his girlfriend of 15 years Sharon Dickson.
The two were attacked inside their vacation home in Lake of the Ozarks. Dickson was declared dead at the scene while the elder Van Note later was taken off life support at the direction of his daughter as next of kin, according to news reports at the time.
Prior to the murders, Susan Van Note had been an estate planning attorney.
The Supreme Court clerk's office reportedly ran into difficulty earlier this year trying to officially inform Susan Van Note about the default proceedings against her. A letter dated Jan. 9 to Susan Van Note about the notice of default that had been entered against her was returned marked "UTF," or unable to forward, on Jan. 14, according to docket entries listed on the court's website.
The following day, a letter and copy of information with notice of default was returned marked "REFUSED-COMMERCIAL MAIL RECEIVING AGENCY NO AUTHORIZATION TO RECEIVE MAIL FOR THIS ADDRESS."
As with the court's order, the docket entries do not describe the nature of the professional misconduct allegations against Susan Van Note.