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Pediatrician in court for sexual abuse of patients

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Retired Massachusetts pediatrician Dr. Richard Kauff pleaded not guilty in court Friday to charges that he sexually abused 15 patients. Kauff, 68, of Norwell, was charged in June with nine counts of rape of a child by force and eight counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said the alleged assaults occurred while he was working as a pediatrician at South Shore Medical Center. He was arraigned in Plymouth Superior Court. “In a 40-year professional career in which I have treated generations of children, there has not been a hint of wrongdoing,” said defense attorney Kellie Porges. “These allegations are refuted by civil lawsuits filed and utter hysteria.” According to prosecutors, Kauff worked as a pediatrician since 1983 and was most recently associated with South Shore Medical Center in Norwell. Kauff treated patients at both the Kingston and Norwell practices affiliated with South Shore Medical Center until his retirement in 2022. The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said its investigation into Kauff began on Oct. 4, 2023, when an anonymous person posted in a local Facebook group that they believed they had been sexually assaulted during an annual physical. Investigators said others responded to the Facebook post, urging the victim to report the incident to Norwell police. The following day, another victim reported a similar incident to Norwell police, prosecutors said. Both victims claimed the perpetrator was Kauff. After police filed charges against Kauff in Hingham District Court, over three dozen people came forward to report similar experiences with Kauff. “A grand jury investigation was conducted to identify additional alleged victims and to explore the possibility of prosecution based on analysis of statutes of limitations and other legal issues,” the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said. “After several months of investigation, the grand jury issued seventeen indictments against fifteen different victims spanning a 23-year period.” Kauff has since surrendered his medical license. One of the alleged victims submitted a statement to NewsCenter 5 about the case, saying, “Dr. Kauff deserves to be held accountable for his abuse of power as a pediatrician and for his abhorrent and unethical actions. While it does not change the past, I was pleased with the (grand) jury’s indictment and hope he is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

PLYMOUTH, Mass. —

Retired Massachusetts pediatrician Dr. Richard Kauff pleaded not guilty in court Friday to charges of sexually abusing 15 patients.

Kauff, 68, of Norwell, was charged in June with nine counts of rape of a child and eight counts of sexual battery and battery of a child under 14. The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said the alleged assaults occurred while he was working as a pediatrician at South Shore Medical Center.

He was arraigned before the High Court in Plymouth.

“In 40 years of professional experience treating generations of children, there has not been the slightest hint of impropriety,” said defense attorney Kellie Porges. “These allegations are refuted by civil lawsuits filed and utter hysteria.”

According to prosecutors, Kauff worked as a pediatrician since 1983 and was most recently associated with South Shore Medical Center in Norwell. Kauff treated patients at South Shore Medical Center’s affiliated practices in Kingston and Norwell until his retirement in 2022.

The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said its investigation into Kauff began on Oct. 4, 2023, when an anonymous person posted in a local Facebook group that they believed they had been sexually assaulted during an annual physical. Investigators said others responded to the Facebook post, urging the victim to report the incident to Norwell police.

The next day, another victim reported a similar incident to Norwell police, prosecutors said. Both victims claimed the perpetrator was Kauff.

After police filed charges against Kauff in Hingham District Court, more than three dozen people came forward to report similar experiences with Kauff.

“A grand jury investigation was conducted to identify additional alleged victims and to explore the possibility of prosecution based on analysis of statutes of limitations and other legal issues,” the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said. “After several months of investigation, the grand jury issued seventeen indictments against fifteen different victims spanning a 23-year period.”

Kauff has since surrendered his license.

One of the alleged victims submitted a statement to NewsCenter 5 about the case, saying, “Dr. Kauff deserves to be held accountable for his abuse of power as a pediatrician and for his abhorrent and unethical actions. While it does not change the past, I was pleased with the (grand) jury’s indictment and hope he is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

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