Brooklyn Surrogate Michael H. Feinberg, elected to the bench in 1996, appointed a law school buddy, Louis R. Rosenthal, counsel to the public administrator, and then rubber-stamped $8.5 million in fees to him without making legally-required findings to justify the large awards—money taken from the estates of those unfortunate enough to die without a will in Brooklyn. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct wasn’t impressed with his excuse that he hadn’t actually read the law he failed to apply. The state’s high court, the Court of Appeals, affirmed his removal from the bench, and there will be a new judge elected, who will have to clean up the messy files left behind. “A probe of 25 files during 2004 found such disarray that [the administrator] closed the books on one dead Brooklyn resident’s estate without distributing 48 U.S. savings bonds. The bonds later showed up in an employee’s desk drawer, the report said.” (John Caher, “Judge Loses Seat After Showing ‘Shocking Disregard’ for Law”, New York Law Journal, Jul. 1 (via Legal Reader); Nancie L. Katz, “News helps get dirty B’klyn judge axed”, NY Daily News, Jun. 30; Nancie L. Katz, “Big mess in B’klyn court for estates”, NY Daily News, Jul. 1; In the Matter of Hon. Michael H. Feinberg (NY Jun. 29, 2005); NYSCJC decision, Feb. 10, 2005).
New York judge thrown off the bench
Brooklyn Surrogate Michael H. Feinberg, elected to the bench in 1996, appointed a law school buddy, Louis R. Rosenthal, counsel to the public administrator, and then rubber-stamped $8.5 million in fees to him without making legally-required findings to justify the large awards—money taken from the estates of those unfortunate enough to die without a will […]
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