Norwell doctor’s accusers brought their children to him, defense says

Norwell MA-A defense attorney for former Norwell peiatrician Dr. Richard Kauff argued in court this week that some of the women accusing him of sexual abuse later brought their own children to him for treatment, saying that behavior undermines the allegations against him.

Kauff, a retired pediatrician who practiced for decades at South Shore Medical Center offices in Norwell and Kingston, has pleaded not guilty to numerous child rape and indecent assault charges. Prosecutors say the alleged abuse occurred during annual exams dating back to the 1990s and early 2000s.

According to reporting from The Patriot Ledger, defense attorney Kelli Porges told the court that at least one accuser continued seeing Kauff professionally years after the alleged assaults and even brought her own child to him as a patient. The defense claims that continued trust in the doctor is inconsistent with the accusations.

Prosecutors have argued the opposite — that delayed reporting is common in child sexual abuse cases, especially when the accused is a longtime trusted physician. Authorities say more than two dozen former patients have come forward since the investigation became public in 2023.

Court records previously detailed allegations from women who said Kauff assaulted them during pediatric exams beginning when they were around 7 or 8 years old and continuing into their late teens. Prosecutors allege he sometimes positioned himself in ways that blocked parents from seeing what was happening during examinations.

Kauff was arraigned in Hingham District Court in 2023 on charges including rape of a child by force and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. He has denied all wrongdoing.