Broward chief judge joining foreclosure firm; Palm Beach chief judge says more judges may resign

By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Broward County Chief Judge Victor Tobin is resigning from the bench to work for the Law Offices of Marshall C. Watson, a South Florida firm that recently paid $2 million to settle a state investigation into its foreclosure practices.

Tobin, 64, announced late Tuesday in a four sentence e-mail to staff at the 17th Circuit Court that his last day will be June 30.

The news shocked foreclosure defense attorneys who said it is unusual for a judge with three years remaining in his term to leave the bench, and questioned the move to a so-called “foreclosure mill.”

The firm made no admission of wrongdoing in its March settlement with the Florida attorney general’s office, agreeing to provide proof in all of its open foreclosure cases that the loan is in default and the plaintiff is entitled to collect.

Still, Weston real estate attorney Roy Oppenheim said Tobin’s decision could exacerbate a perception of impropriety.

“He’s going to a firm that perpetuated perceived fraud on the court that he was in charge of,” Oppenheim said. “It’s bizarre. It’s a sad state of affairs.”

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