Richard Kauff Case: Counts, Plea, and Civil Lawsuits

The Richard Kauff case is a pending Massachusetts prosecution in which a retired Norwell pediatrician faces 20 criminal counts, including 11 counts of rape of a child with force, tied to allegations that he sexually assaulted patients at South Shore Medical Center over 23 years. Kauff pleaded not guilty at his July 2024 arraignment in Plymouth Superior Court and remains out on $50,000 bail while the case moves through pretrial proceedings. He and his former employer also face consolidated civil lawsuits from 22 plaintiffs.

How the Allegations Came to Light

The investigation started with a single Facebook post. On October 4, 2023, an anonymous user in a local group described being sexually assaulted during an annual checkup, and others urged the person to contact Norwell Police. A second woman reported a similar experience to the same department the next day.¹

After Norwell Police sought charges in Hingham District Court, more than three dozen additional people came forward to report similar experiences.²

The 20 Criminal Counts

Kauff was first charged in Hingham District Court with four counts of Rape of a Child with Force and 12 counts of Indecent Assault and Battery on a Child Under 14.²

A Plymouth County grand jury then returned indictments on June 28, 2024. The final indictment carries 20 counts involving 18 victims: 11 counts of Rape of a Child with Force and nine counts of Indecent Assault and Battery on a Child Under 14.³⁴ The conduct alleged spans 23 years.¹

Under Massachusetts law, Rape of a Child with Force is punishable by life in prison or any term of years.⁵

Plea and Bail Conditions

At the Plymouth Superior Court arraignment on July 12, 2024, Kauff waived a reading of the indictment and pleaded not guilty to all 20 counts.⁴ He remained free on the $50,000 bail set earlier by Judge Heather Bradley, who had rejected the prosecution’s request for $100,000 cash with GPS monitoring.²

His release conditions include no contact with victims, no unsupervised contact with children under 16, surrender of his passport, staying in Massachusetts, relinquishment of his medical license, and staying away from South Shore Medical Center facilities in Norwell and Kingston.²³

The Pretrial Fight Over the First Complaint Witness

Kauff is represented by attorney Kelli Porges, and the current pretrial dispute turns on Massachusetts’s “first complaint” doctrine. Under that rule, the first person a sexual assault victim tells about the abuse can testify at trial about the initial disclosure. Porges filed a motion seeking to identify the therapist one accuser saw in October 2023, arguing that statements the accuser made during a therapy session are the first complaint. The defense pointed to a Facebook exchange between two accusers as evidence that the therapy session came first.⁶

Prosecutors oppose the motion. Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham argued that the disclosure to the therapist did not “rise to the level of a complaint” and that the true first complaint witness is another accuser who communicated with the complainant on Facebook in the fall of 2023. A hearing on the motion was scheduled for March 30, 2026, at Brockton Superior Court.⁶

Civil Lawsuits Against Kauff and South Shore Medical Center

Alongside the criminal case, Kauff and South Shore Medical Center are defendants in civil litigation. As of August 2025, 22 plaintiffs had filed four separate lawsuits in Norfolk and Plymouth Superior Courts, and those cases have been consolidated in Plymouth Superior Court.⁷

The complaints allege assault and battery, negligence, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Some plaintiffs say invasive exams began when they were as young as eight and continued for years.⁸ One plaintiff alleges she was a patient from age 2 to 17.⁷

The suits also accuse South Shore Medical Center of negligent hiring, training, and supervision, alleging it allowed “a dangerous situation to exist.” Kauff has been excused from depositions in the civil cases after invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, pending resolution of the criminal charges.⁷

South Shore Health, the parent organization, has confirmed Kauff is no longer affiliated with the medical center.⁹ In response to the civil litigation, it said it “deeply values the care and safety of its patients, families, and staff above all else” and declined further comment.⁷

Kauff’s Background and License

Kauff practiced at South Shore Medical Center’s Norwell and Kingston offices for roughly 40 years before retiring in 2022.¹⁰ His license with the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine had been renewed as active in 2023, then was listed as a “voluntary agreement not to practice” after the allegations became public.⁹ Surrender of the license was later imposed as a bail condition.

1
Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. Former Pediatrician Indicted on Charges That He Sexually Assaulted Patients
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Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. Former Pediatrician Arraigned on Charges That He Sexually Assaulted Patients
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Boston Globe. Richard Kauff Pediatrician Child Rape Charges
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Boston Herald. South Shore Pediatrician Pleads Not Guilty to 20 Charges of Rape and Assault on Children
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General Court of Massachusetts. General Laws, Chapter 265, Section 22A
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Patriot Ledger. South Shore Pediatrician Richard Kauff Child Rape Case
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Yahoo News (Patriot Ledger). Sexual Assault Claims Pile Against South Shore Pediatrician
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CBS News Boston. Doctor Richard Kauff Pediatrician Sexual Assault New Charges
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Patriot Ledger. South Shore Medical Center Hospital Pediatrician Kauff Accused
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NBC Boston. Former Norwell Pediatrician Appears in Court on Charges of Raping Patients