A retired South Shore Medical Center pediatrician is now facing multiple charges accused of sexually assaulting some of his former patients from childhood into their teenage years.
Court documents state that two women accused Dr. Richard Kauff of uncomfortably and painfully penetrating their private areas with his fingers, with no medical justification, during annual physical exams starting in the 90s.
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Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
One woman alleges the sexual assaults happened at two locations, in Norwell and Kingston, with one woman telling police Kauff would do a normal exam before scooting down her underwear and asking her to “count out loud to three while his fingers were inside her.”
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Both women separately stated that Kauff would say “it’s like a rocket ship” or it might “feel like a rocket ship.”
The court documents state that one of the women made an anonymous Facebook post in October after speaking with a therapist and realizing her checkups with Kauff were far from routine, when the other woman, a complete stranger, responded with her own traumatic memories.
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Kauff’s attorney never returned NBC Boston’s calls for comment. The court documents state Kauff told police he was “extremely upset,” when officers showed up at his door.
South Shore Health shared a statement with NBC10 Boston, saying in part: “We are taking this very seriously and will cooperate fully with any investigation… we are also prepared to help the young women who have come forward with charges against this physician.”
Kauff had no disciplinary issues listed on the state Board of Registration in Medicine website. He announced his retirement in a South Shore Health blog post in July 2022.
Kauff is due in court for his arraignment on Nov. 20.
