No Longer Licensed As Massage Therapist But Still A Lawyer

A bar discipline summary from the web page of the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers describes conduct that led to a stayed three-month suspension

On January 11, 2016, the respondent, Gary R. Edwards, who was admitted to the bar of the Commonwealth on December 15, 1998, admitted in the Plymouth District Court to sufficient facts to one count of indecent assault and battery on a person fourteen or over, a felony, in violation of M.G.L. c. 265, § 13H. The matter was continued without a finding until January 11, 2017, with probationary terms. The circumstances supporting the admission to sufficient facts were as follows.

The respondent was employed as a massage therapist. During a massage, he asked a female customer, age 34, if she wanted her chest massaged. When she said yes, the respondent massaged her breasts and touched her nipples. She immediately told him to stop, and he did. The customer allowed the massage to continue but reported the incident to the owner of the facility later that day.

In mitigation, the respondent’s criminal conduct did not involve the practice of law. The respondent ceased his indecent assault and apologized when the victim objected. The respondent complied with the terms of his probation, including a mental health evaluation and counseling, as a result of which the charge was dismissed at the end of the continuance period. The respondent has surrendered his license as a Massage Therapist Practitioner.

The sanction is stayed for 12 months. (Mike Frisch)