Opinion
November 18, 1991
Appeal from the Supreme Court, Queens County (Posner, J.).
Ordered that the judgment is reversed, on the law, and the indictment is dismissed, and the matter is remitted to the Supreme Court, Queens County, for the purpose of entering an order in its discretion pursuant to CPL 160.50.
It is undisputed that the defendant was not a licensed psychologist (see, Education Law § 7603). It is also undisputed that the defendant practiced as a psychologist and held himself out as such. However, it is not a crime to practice psychology without a license (see, Matter of Salter v. New York State Psychological Assn., 14 N.Y.2d 100; National Psychological Assn. v. University of State of N.Y., 8 N.Y.2d 197, 205; cf., Education Law § 6512). Although it is a misdemeanor for an unlicensed person to "use the title `psychologist' or to describe his services by the use of the words `psychologist', `psychology' or `psychological' in connection with his practice" (Education Law § 7601, 6513 Educ. [1]), the defendant was not charged with this offense. Thus, the defendant's conviction must be reversed.
Moreover, since it is not a crime to practice psychology without a license, the indictment was jurisdictionally defective, and therefore, must be dismissed (see, People v. Motley, 69 N.Y.2d 870, 872; People v. Iannone, 45 N.Y.2d 589, 600; People v. Case, 42 N.Y.2d 98). Sullivan, J.P., Balletta, Ritter and Copertino, JJ., concur.