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September 2, 2010 |
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| June 19, 2007 |
By: Jordana Mishory |
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n the latest Broward County judicial shake-up, Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin, who drew large audiences and sharp criticism for his handling of the February custody fight for the body of tabloid icon Anna Nicole Smith, has announced he is leaving the bench at the end of July.
“It is now time for me to devote more of my daily life to my own young family and to pursue the many opportunities that have been offered to me outside the judicial system,” Seidlin, 57, wrote in his resignation letter to Gov. Charlie Crist.
Judge Seidlin did not return a call for comment by deadline.
It has been rumored that Seidlin has a TV show in the works. Twentieth Television, which previously said it was talking to Seidlin about a deal, said there’s nothing new to report. A Warner Brothers spokesman said her company has no deal with Seidlin.
Seidlin came under widespread criticism in the legal community for his handling of the Smith case and more recently came under fire for other behavior. Last month, WSVN-TV Channel 7 reported Seidlin took three-hour lunch breaks on the four days in April that he was tailed by the station’s investigative team. WSVN also showed he was at a tennis club by 4 p.m. on three of the four days he was watched. He declined to comment for the TV report.
The report about Seidlin came in the midst of great controversy over the conduct of a number of Broward judges, including allegations of misconduct and statements that were deemed insensitive to minorities and the poor. Last month, Chief Judge Dale Ross announced that he was stepping down as chief judge after 17 years in that post.
Ross, whose successor will be selected by fellow judges in a July 3 election, did not return a call for comment.
Last week, Judge Lawrence Korda also announced his retirement from the bench. Korda was charged in March with smoking marijuana in a Hollywood park and faces a misdemeanor charge. He presided over the paternity fight for Smith’s baby daughter, which followed the body custody proceeding before Seidlin.
For six days in February, Seidlin captivated television viewers with his maudlin performance presiding over the Smith body custody case, which followed her sudden death at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. Critics said the legal proceedings lasted too long, with Seidlin hamming it up for the international TV audience.
Seidlin kicked off the hearing by announcing, in reference to Smith’s corpse, “This body belongs to me now” and “that baby is in a cold, cold storage room.” He asked the feuding parties to all sit down together and hold hands because “it’s only in this country that you can join hands.”
He finally awarded custody of the body to Richard Milstein, the Miami lawyer serving as guardian ad litem for Smith’s infant daughter. He asked Milstein to bury Smith in the Bahamas next to her deceased son.
Following the Smith trial, “Saturday Night Live” parodied Seidlin’s behavior in two episodes.
In another strange development in the Smith case, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported last week that an envelope addressed to Anna Nicole Smith marked “X-rays” was discovered by a maintenance worker in a trash room at Seidlin’s condominium building.
In the 2004 Broward County Bar Association judicial poll, Broward lawyers ranked Seidlin near the bottom of Broward judges on ability.
Prior to becoming a judge, Seidlin, a University of Miami law graduate, served as legal adviser to the Broward Sheriff’s Office. He became a county court judge in 1979 and later became the county court administrative judge. In 1989, Gov. Bob Martinez elevated Seidlin to the circuit court bench.
Seidlin was serving in the probate division, but Chief Judge Ross assigned him to the family division to take Judge Korda’s spot after Ross re-assigned Korda in the wake of the pot-smoking incident.
Over the past few months, the Broward judiciary has been in a state of flux. Last month, Judges Jay Spechler and Gary Cowart announced they will be stepping down from their administrative posts.
Previously, Circuit Judge Charles Greene, chief administrative judge of the criminal division, stepped down from his administrative post after making a comment that was considered insensitive to minorities.
Jordana Mishory can be reached at jmishory@alm.com or at (954) 468-2616.
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