South Shore pediatrician Dr. Richard Kauff accused of sexually assaulting 2 patients
NORWELL - Dr. Richard Kauff, a retired South Shore pediatrician, is facing more than a dozen charges after two women accused him of assaulting them when they were young.
Norwell police say the two women didn't know each other, but they connected online and realized they had similar experiences.
Court documents show Dr. Kauff, who lives in Norwell, is accused of sexually assaulting the two women during their annual checkups for more than a decade. He is facing 16 felony assault charges, two of them for rape of a child.
Both women say Dr. Kauff conducted invasive vaginal exams every year, starting when they were seven or eight, until they were about 19 years old. Both were pediatric patients at South Shore Medical Center in Norwell and Kingston.
In the Norwell police report obtained by WBZ-TV, victims said despite having a parent in the room at times, "Dr. Kauff would position himself in a manner that what he was doing was obscured from their views."
One patient stated the doctor would tell her it, "may be a little uncomfortable, that it might feel like a rocket ship."
Police say the women connected over Facebook after one of them posted about their childhood exams online and realized that it was "not the norm".
In a statement, South Shore Health said, "we are deeply concerned."
"We are taking this very seriously and will cooperate fully with any investigation," a spokesperson for South Shore Health said. "At this point, our focus is on how to best assist and support all of our patients, families, and staff. We are also prepared to help the women who have come forward with charges against this physician, a former pediatrician who is no longer affiliated with South Shore Medical Center, and will always be prepared to help any of our current or former patients."
Dr. Kauff's attorney did not return WBZ's request for comment and there was no answer at Kauff's home.
Kauff told investigators he was a pediatrician for more than 40 years with no complaints. He will be summoned to appear in court later this month.
