Judge Martin Zilber Who Made His Staff Run Personal Errands, Resigns

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Martin Zilber, who publicly accepted responsibility for his misconduct over a month ago, has announced his resignation.

"It has been my honor and privilege to serve the people of Miami-Dade County," he wrote in his resignation letter to Chief Judge Bertila Soto, reported Miami Herald.

Zilber reportedly engaged in “inappropriate” treatment of his assistant, Dixidela Dent, who was also asked to work on a scrapbook on his achievements. Once he asked his pregnant assistant to wheel his chair up “several floors to the courtroom and then lift it onto the dais prior to hearings.”

Dent said that she needed the job's medical benefits and so, she endured his behavior, reported NBC Miami. "I had to put up with it, but what I saw was injustice to the constituents of Miami-Dade County," she said in April.

Recalling one personal attack, she said, "The moment I told him I was pregnant, he said, 'Oh geez. This is such an inconvenience. This is going to ruin all my plans. This is the worst possible time for you to be pregnant.'"

An investigation found that between January 2019 and March 2020, Zilber skipped work for 51 days, without informing his superiors. While most hearings became virtual due to the pandemic, Zilber took a “week-long” vacation to Malibu, California. He later claimed that “he was going to be working remotely anyway,” and he did do some work.

But the probe found that he rescheduled his regular hearings that week, and four “special set” hearings were either social or educational meetings. Later, Zilber admitted his behavior was “intemperate, inappropriate and damaged the public’s perception of the judiciary.” He also agreed to the recommended discipline -- a 60-day suspension without pay from his $161,000-a-year job and a $30,000 fine.

On Monday, Dent’s lawyer, Bruce Jacobs, praised his client saying, “Brave people like Dixie understand the importance of integrity and honesty in the judiciary. She believes the constitution is at stake."

“She came forward, at great risk, to speak truth to power. She was blacklisted from the legal community and even her husband told her to move on. When Dixie’s husband saw Judge Zilber resigned, he told her how proud he was of her for standing up for her beliefs," he added.