The Cupertino Courier

Cupertino chiropractor guilty of sexual battery

By Pam Marino

Chiropractor Matt Reza Montana was convicted last week of felony sexual battery in an incident with a female patient 18 months ago in his Cupertino office.

Montana's sentencing is set for Dec. 4. He could receive up to four years in prison, or he could spend time in county jail or receive probation, according to Deputy District Attorney Paul Colin. In any event, Montana, 42, will have to register with local authorities as a sex offender.

The incident with the 41-year-old high-tech sales representative, known only as Jane Doe, occurred in Montana's office on South De Anza Boulevard on March 23, 1996. The woman, who was surprised by the chiropractor's actions, did not report the incident right away.

"She was concerned about what it would be like to go through a case like this," Colin said in an interview Tuesday. Some friends advised her to forget about it, but others convinced her that action was needed. Montana was arrested April 17, 1996, on charges of sexual assault.

The evidence that most swayed the jury, Colin said, was a tape recording of a telephone call between the victim and Montana, arranged by a Sheriff's investigator. Colin said Montana "effectively acknowledged his behavior and offered to compensate her in the future with 'the best service, the best chiropractic service ... purely chiropractic.' " Montana, Colin said, acted as a guilty person would act, and not someone who had been wrongly accused.

Also pending against Montana is a criminal trial on charges of insurance fraud. The chiropractor is accused of billing for work on days the patient never came in for treatment.

Official action against Montana's chiropractic license, which was issued in 1991 and expires April 30, 1998, will begin within weeks, now that he has been convicted of felony sexual battery, a spokeswoman with the Board of Chiropractic Examiners said Monday night.

[ Back to Contents Page | Cupertino Courier Home Page | Archives ]