Victim Tells Her Story of Lawyer Who Hypnotized Clients for Sex

You are not getting sleepy as you read this story.
This is the twisted tale of a lawyer who hypnotized clients for sex, and a judge who said she was victimized by a man who hypnotized women for sex. They are actually two separate stories, but they intersect in a town, as Rod Serling would have said, somewhere in the Twilight Zone. Unlike the television show, however, these stories are true.
Michael Fine, an Ohio divorce attorney, was caught on video attempting to seduce a client through hypnonsis. In the newly released video, Fine says:
When Was the Last Time You Made Love?
"Your entire body is a vessel of pleasure and arousal and excitement and the better it feels the tighter you'll grip my hand," Fine says, then asks: "When was the last time you made love?"
Police, who were monitoring via a wire, arrested Fine before he could make the next move. After five other women came forward with similar stories, Fine pleaded guilty to five counts of kidnapping and one count of attempted kidnapping. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and required to register as a sex offender.
At his sentencing in November, Judge Patricia Cosgrove heard statements by victims and others. She said Fine, who surrendered his license to practice, deserved to be punished.
"At the lowest point in their lives when they came to you for help in the throes of painful divorces and custody battles, you took advantage of them," she said. "You took advantage of their trust and faith in you by sexually abusing them."
Victim of Abuse Shares Her Story
While that criminal case was pending, a different judge in the same jurisdiction removed herself from divorce cases with Fine. Judge Lisa Swenski said in a statement that Fine tried to use his hypnosis skills at the courthouse.
Swenski also said in the court statement that a roommate in law school had bragged about using hypnosis on women. She claimed that her roommate sexually assaulted her, but he was never charged and she was involuntarily committed in a mental institution for about a week. Swenski said she released that information to protect the public.
"I understand people will think I'm crazy, but I know what I know about Mike Fine and people like him, and my desire to protect the public is much greater than my desire to be re-elected," she said.
Swenski repeated her concerns on the Dr. Phil television show, claiming that she thought Fine was unethically trying to influence her by hypnotizing her. "This case just gets stranger by the minute," Dr. Phil said.
That's because truth is stranger than fiction.
Related Resources:
- Victim Speaks Out About Lawyer Convicted of Hypnotizing His Clients (ABC News)
- Judge Decides to Vacate Post (The Chronicle)
- Why Lawyers Shouldn't Handle Their Own Divorce Cases (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- Sober Lawyer Regains License to Practice (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)