Burton Lifland, the longest-serving judge for Southern District Bankruptcy Court, who oversaw court proceedings to wind down Bernard Madoff’s businesses and repay victims of his Ponzi scheme, died Sunday afternoon after a brief battle with bacterial pneumonia. He was 84.
Lifland, who served nearly 15 years as chief of the Southern District bankruptcy court, had been on the bench as recently as two weeks ago, court clerk Vito Genna said. The court has not yet decided who will take over the Madoff proceeding or the rest of Lifland’s docket, Genna said.
