The state judiciary’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct has accused Passaic County Surrogate Bernice Toledo of a half-dozen violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct for ruling in favor of a personal friend in a disputed estate case.

Toledo disregarded the wishes of a dead man’s family members when she picked Keith Stewart to administer the $600,000 estate of Mark Halchak, according the ACJC complaint, which was made public Thursday. After Halchak died intestate in January 2017, his family members and heirs indicated they wanted his cousin, Estelle Halchak, to be administrator of his estate. But Toledo instead picked Stewart, who was not related to Halchak but had been his co-worker.

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