Boston lawyer to face assault charge in alleged groping at museum

By Raja Mishra, Globe Staff | May 1, 2007

A well-regarded Boston lawyer, Stephen T. Kunian, will be arraigned today on a charge that he assaulted a woman by groping her at an art museum party in December.

Kunian's lawyer argued that the case is an effort to get money from him, saying that the defendant, Gloretta Baynes, has asked for $500,000 in exchange for dropping the charges.

"The charges are nonsense. They are basically being put forward in an attempt to shake him down for money," said Kunian's lawyer, Richard Egbert , who added that the offer was rejected. "I don't make counter offers to shakedowns."

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Kunian's version is starkly different. In court papers, he states that he encountered Baynes at the party and expressed admiration for her necklace, which was made of ornamental cowrie shells. "Mr. Kunian reached over to touch the necklace but immediately realized the impropriety of his action and apologized," according to the court filing by his legal team.

More:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/05/01/boston_lawyer_to_face_assault_charge_in_alleged_groping_at_museum/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+City%2FRegion+News


I think the guy is innocent, because he is a Democrat:
http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?key=KRF5D&txtName=Kunian,%20Stephen&txtState=MA&txtAll=Y&Order=N