Lawyer Accused Of Hypnotizing Clients Into Sex Acts

You may not believe this headline, but you have to read the disciplinary filing.

Now this is a new one. If you thought we’d hit the outer bounds of crazy “lawyer coerces sex from client” tactics with the amateur porn polygamy guy allegations, then shame on you for doubting the scope of human ingenuity. Because you don’t have to invoke God’s will (or offer them a pudding pop) to cajole women into sex if you’re able to hypnotize them into doing whatever you want.

And according to the allegations in a new disciplinary filing, that’s exactly what one lawyer did….

Hypnosis is one of those things that seems really cool when you’re watching a G.I. Joe cartoon, but in reality it doesn’t seem to accomplish much beyond convincing people to quit smoking or to act like a chicken on stage. Noble endeavors both, but hardly as exciting as making a member of a daring, highly trained special missions force your personal slave.

But Michael Fine of Fine Legal Services (formerly of Smith, Illner & Gemelas — where the alleged conduct occurred) may have found a more troubling use for hypnosis, according to investigators.

“After a number of meetings with (Fine) at his office, Doe 1 began to notice that she was wet in her vaginal area, that her bra was disheveled, and that she could not recall the entire duration of the meetings,” Cook wrote.

Sounds like every lawyer meeting to me! Who doesn’t get rock hard and blackout when discussing choice of law clauses?

Adding to the craziness of these allegations, the victim identified as Doe 1 also described missing time in meetings at the courthouse. At the courthouse! In any event, the woman initially feared bringing these issues to authorities for fear that they wouldn’t believe her. In a world where an overwhelming number of sexual assault victims fear that authorities will disregard their stories, it’s no surprise that a woman would be reticent to report, “I was hypnotized,” to the cops. Indeed, when she eventually told the authorities, they simply told her not to go back to his office. But she wanted to get to the bottom of this:

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Although police told her not to return to Fine’s office, the woman instead began recording her interactions with him. During an Oct. 10 conversation, Fine began by discussing legal matters, but then began asking the woman whether she was alone, the documents said.

“(Fine) then began to use ‘code’ words that induced Doe 1 to enter a trance-like stage,” [Bar Association lawyer Chris] Cook wrote.

Fine then began to use sexually charged language with the woman, urging her to have orgasms and told her that he was her “teacher.”

He also allegedly told her “that they have a ‘special bond,’ and that their conversations are ‘private conversations between us, nobody else, just us, right,’ that she is ‘being made love to by the world’s greatest lover,’ that she will not ‘cancel her next meeting,’ and that all she will remember about their conversation is that ‘we talked about legal matters,’” Cook wrote.

These recordings convinced the police to secure a warrant and send Doe 1 in again wearing a wire and a camera, ultimately crashing the party themselves to allegedly find Fine “still describing what sexual activities he wanted the woman to engage in.”

The lingering question is how did Fine establish the original “code” words that Doe 1 describes. It makes sense — at least in the G.I. Joe world — that once he’d laid the groundwork he could induce a trance quickly enough to use a courthouse conference room as a porn shoot, but where did this all start? A second woman offers possible clues:

A second woman, identified in the documents as Jane Doe 2, also has accused Fine of trying to hypnotize her after she hired him in September to help her with divorce proceedings.

During her meetings with Fine, the woman reported that he made comments about her appearance, suggested she remove her coat and sweater and discussed relaxation and meditation techniques.

Pro tip for clients out there: if your lawyer even broaches the subject of “relaxation and meditation techniques,” then get out of there. That’s just not what we do.

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Fine doesn’t face any criminal charges — yet — but the bar is seeking an immediate suspension of his legal license. The Supreme Court of Ohio got the filing yesterday.

Fine has yet to file his response captioned “Motion And Proposed Order To Get Sleepy, Very Sleepy.”

UPDATE (11/26/2014 9:15 a.m.): Yeah, the Supreme Court wasn’t taken in by the swinging pocket watch and suspended Fine immediately.

Client: Attorney hypnotized me into sex acts [The Chronicle Telegram]

Earlier: Lawyer Accused Of Extorting Sex From Clients, Amateur Porn, Polygamy