The Ohio Supreme Court has indefinitely suspended the law license of a former Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge convicted of severely beating his wife.
The state high court ruled that Lance Mason can only apply for reinstatement of his law license if he meets conditions that include a mental health evaluation. The state Board of Professional Conduct had recommended Mason be permanently disbarred. But the unanimous court said that because his felony assault conviction did not involve dishonesty or abuse of his judicial office and wasn’t premeditated or part of a pattern, he should have a chance to regain the license.
Mason was convicted in 2015 of punching his wife 20 times and smashing her face into the car console in front of their children. He served nine months before getting early release. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson hired him this fall as the city’s minority business development administrator.
