Massachusetts

Boston doctor accused of sexual abuse by more than 200 patients indicted on rape charges

Derrick Todd is a former Brigham and Women's rheumatologist who is accused of assaulting two female patients at the Charles River Medical Associates Office in Framingham, Massachusetts.

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A doctor accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of patients is now facing criminal charges.

A former prominent doctor at Brigham and Women's Hospital, who is accused in a class action lawsuit of sexually assaulting more than 200 patients, has now been indicted on two counts of rape.

The indictment alleges that Derrick Todd — a former rheumatologist whose specialty involves treating inflammatory conditions of the muscles, joints and bones — assaulted two women whom he gave medical examinations to in December 2022 and June 2023 at the Charles River Medical Associates Office in Framingham, Massachusetts.

The Yale and UMass graduate also practiced at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital in Boston where there's a class action lawsuit against him accusing of performing unnecessary pelvic floor therapy, breast examinations, testicular examinations and rectal examinations on more than 200 women and several men ranging from teens to people in their 60s.

The alleged abuse dates back to 2010 but came to light in 2023 when Brigham and Women’s received two anonymous complaints about Todd.

The Middlesex District Attorney's Office said Todd turned himself in to Framingham police on Thursday night and was held on bail. He appeared in Middlesex Superior Court on Friday.

Prosecutors said the charges stem from the experiences of two patients, who reported going in for pelvic exams or pap smears. The patients told investigators that the exams went beyond what was "normal."

One patient reported being in so much pain that she screamed for Todd to stop, but said he continued. The second patient said she said she did not consent to the particular type of exam but Todd moved forward with it anyway.

His attorney, Ingrid Martin said Todd is eager to defend himself from the allegations against him, fighting for no bail in his case and noting he has no criminal history.

"My client is innocent, we look forward to receiving the evidence and to challenging it in court," Martin told reporters outside the courthouse Friday.

Bail was set at $10,000 cash, which Todd posted. It includes conditions set to surrender any passports passport and have no contact with any victims.

Dr. Derrick Todd is facing legal action from a growing number of former patients, with at least 120 joining a class action lawsuit.

A lawyer for Todd, Anthony Abeln, has previously said that his client would “not litigate this matter in the media, but he will defend his care as the case progresses through the Massachusetts Superior Court system.”

In September, Todd reached a voluntary agreement with the Board of Registration in Medicine to stop practicing medicine anywhere in the country.

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