Mass. Medical Examiner's Credentials Questioned

A former top official at the state medical examiner's office had accused the agency's current chief of falsifying some credentials.

Dr. Stanton Kessler, a former acting chief medical examiner, alleged in court documents filed Tuesday that current Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Henry Nields never finished a fellowship program he has cited as one of his credentials.

Kessler alleged in an affidavit that Nields left the fellowship program after demonstrating "anger management issues" and pursuing an unwanted relationship with a female subordinate. Kessler also alleged that his signature had been forged on documents Nields needed to prove he had completed the fellowship.

Nields said in a statement to The Boston Globe that "I categorically deny the allegations in the affidavit."

The affidavit was made in a Cape Cod murder case.