The allegations facing lawyer Michael Fine, 57, are truly bizarre. Police say that Fine convinced clients to let him hypnotize them and then had sex with them while telling them to forget everything but their legal discussions from the office visits.
The case was disclosed when the Lorain County Bar Association filed an emergency court motion to suspend Fine from further practice. The filing describes how one alleged victim experienced “strange memories and feelings” after her meetings with Fine. She told investigators that “She would be unable to recall substantial portions of the meetings, and afterwards she would realize her clothes and bra were out of place and moved, and her vagina was wet.”
Fine allegedly told the women that this was a meditation and relaxation technique that was beneficial for clients.
The woman then agreed to record two telephone conversations and that in one conversation “when Fine learn[ed] she is alone, he place[ed] her in a trance” and proceeded to “induce[] her into multiple orgasms.” Investigators say that he used code words and told her that she was “being made love to by the world’s greatest lover” and that he was her “teacher.” She was then told to forget everything but their case discussion. After two such allegedly incriminating telephone conversations, police wired the woman and she went to the office. Fine allegedly told her to bring a sex toy. The police reportedly stormed into the office after Fine hypnotized “Jane Doe” and began physical contact.
The account supplied by the Bar is quite explicit. The women complained of a sense of a loss of time and memory when they visited Fine. One of the women then discovered that Fine was no longer working for the firm and reached out to a former partner, identified as Joel Fritz, who advised her to go to the police.
To say the least, this makes for an extremely bizarre and disturbing case. Such sex contact could be charged as rape and other crimes. There is also the question of the liability for the former law firm and the reason for his cessation with the firm. If the firm had knowledge of possible criminal or grossly unethical conduct, the issue could become whether they had a duty to report to either the police or at a minimum the clients. There is no information on any knowledge by the firm and clearly this is the type of alleged conduct that a culprit would keep secret. There is no allegations made against the firm or any of its partners.
The case could also lead to a trial contest over the true control exercised by hypnotism and a defense of consensual relations (which would still leave serious ethical issues).
The motion can be read HERE.
There are some interesting questions here about his former law-firm: the ethical/legal smoking gun questions. What did they know? When did they know it? And, what, besides letting him go, did they do about it? What should they have done ethically and legally? Are lawyers like the police, physicians, and priests, for example? Do they protect one another which means one doesn’t “rat” out a fellow professional? Does the law firm risk the ensuing distrust and disfavor of their fellow professionals only when the alleged perpetrator negatively impacts the firm’s reputation and bottom line?
Hmmm. I wonder if his closing arguments started
Lady and Gentlemen of the Jury. . .Listen to the sound of my voice.
Anyway, this is definitely Irish Poem material!
Another Fine Mess???
An Irish Poem by Squeeky Fromm
There once was a lawyer named Fine
And hypnosis he used by design!
When he wanted romance,/i>
He’d put chicks in a trance,
It was cheesy. . . but cheaper than wine!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Let me dovetail on what leejcaroll said. It’s not completely true, however, that people “cannot be made to do sthey wouldn’t ordinarily do or approve of.” If the hypnotist is skilled, he or she can create a context in which the proposed behavior can be acceptable within that person’s value system, approved of, or even welcomed. You can think about the times your view on an issue changed simply because you received more information or more info in context. Of course, as ljc pointed out, some people because of their psychological state (stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, insecurity, victimhood, et al.) may be more manipulable than others.
DrSigne – the theory is that you cannot get a subject to do something they would not do in the first place, however, having been hypnotized in a self-hypnosis seminar, I found that I was missing about 15 minutes of time. I have no memory of what happened during that period.
DBQ: Some people are just predatory creeps.
In Cosby’s case, he bought into the whole amoral “Playboy Philosophy” of the 60s and 70s that Hefner used to build his then-substantial publishing, television and movie empire. Cosby willfully made that choice, and did things deemed acceptable by that philosophy, never imagining that those things it would return to torment him in his later years.
Don’t do it if you don’t want others to know about it, as was taught to me by nuns in grade school, turns out to be a good course of conduct. Imagine!
Is that why Tim the Tool Man Taylor was always seeing “more power!” My kids LOVED that show.
DBQ,
A lack of virtue and morality; precisely the character that is commonly found among the political class.
No Paul but of course as always you ignore everything that does not comport with your belief on a sibject. I said sounds to me like they were drugged or likle a showbiz hypnotist, this guy found women who were in a compromised state already and amenable to this type of manipulation. We have the tapes, there is no question something went on here that was definitely iinappropriate or much much worse. I just doubt that hypnosis was the reason for what happened to them.
I have not been in this situation but it is plausible I would think that if they are already say victims of abuse and therefore psychologically malleable he could take advantage of that.
leejcaroll – either you can hypnotize women and have sex with them or you can not. Which is it?
DBQ, It is more about control than sex. Combine the fact that Men are from Mars, women Venus, sexually, and this stuff happens. It holds no attraction to the vast majority of men. We don’t need the courtship or foreplay like women, but a high % do at least want the woman to be a willing participant. Even if it’s a prostitute, they are willing. And, as I’ve said many times, I know attorneys better than just about anyone. You will not find a demographic w/ a higher % of control freaks than attorneys. Cops are way up there as well.
Power is a powerful aphrodisiac. Just ask any President or executive.
I don’t get this concept and maybe some of the men here can explain it to us women. I know that very few men are this way and would hope that every man on this forum would disparage this type of treatment of women.
Question. When there is a world full of women who would likely be compliant if not even thrilled to have sex with you (generic you….not you guys) why does someone feel the need to compel, force, drug (ala Cosby), hypnotize or otherwise force himself on an unwilling woman. This guy doesn’t look unappealing or impaired to the point that women run screaming from him. He has a job and seems to be normal looking. Cosby (assuming this is all true) could have had practically any woman in that he was a famous, rich, celebrity. It isn’t like he was in a sexual desert.
If someone truly doesn’t want to have sex with you, doesn’t want to even bee with you……there are plenty of other fish in the sea. Granted, they may not be the fish you want….but as the Rolling Stones say…..you can’t always get what you want…..but if you try sometime, you might just get what you need.
If you are that disgusting that women don’t want you….you can always rent some sex and should probably get some therapy to find out what your problem is, so you can fix it.
I don’t get it. Power trip I suppose?
No Paul, drugged. That would eliminate the motivation aspect.
Olly – the women are not claiming to be drugged, just hypnotized.
As a hypnotherapist, no one can “take control” of you. I can only help you to do what you are truly motivated to do. Although some people can obtain a level so deep they can become amnesic for some of all of the hypnosis,this sounds more to me like they were drugged.
leejcaroll – so, what you are saying is that these women were motivated to go to bed with him.
Hypnosis…….hmmm. That might explain the last six years.
Olly – missing the last 6 years? Or wanting to miss the last 8 years? 😉
Oh, yeah! Another ‘Lawyer with questionable “Morals”……. You know what they call 500,000 lawyers, chained together on the bottom of the Ocean…. A good start!!!!
I am sure he billed in 10 minute increments. 🙂 So he had time to clean up for the next client as well.
I think the Bar need to take hypnotism off its CE credits. If this was a Bar approved course, would they have liability?
Making him a gigolo?
And, you know this SOB billed them for the time as well!
I see the defense being a subject cannot be compelled to do something under hypnosis that they would not do otherwise.
You’re getting sleepy…
Wrong career advice?