Massachusetts General Laws ch. 221 sec. 26 – Physicians or unregistered practitioners convicted of crimes; clerk to report convictions to board of registration in medicine
Section 26. The clerk of any court in which a physician registered in the commonwealth is convicted of any crime or in which an unregistered practitioner is convicted of holding himself out as a practitioner of medicine or of practicing medicine shall, within one week thereafter, report the same to the board of registration in medicine together with a copy of the court proceedings in the case. For the purposes of this section, a person shall be deemed to be convicted of a crime if he pleaded guilty or was found or adjudged guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws ch. 221 sec. 26
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
In the instance where a physician pleads nolo contendere to charges or where sufficient facts of guilt were found and the matter was continued without a finding by a court of competent jurisdiction, such clerk shall, within one week thereafter, report the same to the board of registration in medicine together with a copy of the court proceedings in the case.