I don't know why people don't actually look at the rules.
An unintentional miscue is
not a foul unless contact with the cue stick is "clearly visible", otherwise such contact is "deemed not to occur" and there is no foul. Intentional miscues (i.e., to scoop jump) are a foul.
In the example given, with no intervening ball it is hard to see how anyone could say it was intentional. The issue of a player claiming he intended a masse shot is, in my view, easy to resolve - as the cue action for a masse shot is so different than for a scoop shot, I can't imagine a competent referee not knowing the difference.
http://www.wpa-pool.com/web/the_rules_of_play#8.2
8.18 Miscue
A miscue occurs when the cue tip slides off the cue ball possibly due to a contact that is too eccentric or to insufficient chalk on the tip. It is usually accompanied by a sharp sound and evidenced by a discoloration of the tip. Although some miscues involve contact of the side of the cue stick with the cue ball, unless such contact is clearly visible, it is assumed not to have occurred. A scoop shot, in which the cue tip contacts the playing surface and the cue ball at the same time and this causes the cue ball to rise off the cloth, is treated like a miscue. Note that intentional miscues are covered by 6.17 Unsportsmanlike Conduct (c).