Over 200 women and several men have jointly filed a lawsuit in a court in Massachusetts, US, against a doctor accused of sexually abusing patients for years.
The lawsuit, combining several filed last year, accuses Dr Derrick Todd of performing unnecessary pelvic floor therapy, breast examinations, testicular examinations and rectal examinations on patients. It alleges that Todd, a former doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, whose specialty involves treating inflammatory conditions of the muscles, joints and bones, began abusing patients in 2010.
It began in 2010
The case also accused several dozen other defendants, including Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital and Charles River Medical Associates, of knowing about the abuse and failing to stop it. “It’s an extraordinary number of people who put their trust in Dr. Todd and who had that trust violated simply for his own personal, selfish gratification,” said William Thompson of Lubin & Meyer, whose Boston-based firm represents most of the victims.
“The other thing that strikes me about this case is how could this have been going on at the hospital, at the practice group for so long without somebody recognizing … that something suspicious was going on,” he continued. “Yet, they allowed him to continue to do this week after week, month after month, year after year, to more and more victims.” A lawyer for Todd, Anthony Abeln, said 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.”
Anonymous complaints
In April 2023, Brigham and Women’s received two anonymous complaints about Todd and launched an internal investigation. Todd was told he couldn’t conduct sensitive exams without a chaperone. In June, he was placed on administrative leave, then terminated a month later. The hospital said it also notified the Department of Public Health, the state Board of Registration in Medicine, law enforcement and his current and former patients.
In September, Todd reached a voluntary agreement with the Board of Registration in Medicine to stop practicing medicine anywhere in the country. No criminal charges have been filed against Todd but several former patients have been interviewed by law enforcement. The Boston Globe reported last year Todd was under investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. A spokesperson for the office said it would not comment on the case.
‘Upsetting allegations’
“We are deeply troubled by the upsetting allegations of harmful conduct committed by Dr. Todd,” the hospital said in a statement. “We take our duty to care for our patients and keep them safe extremely seriously. We have, and always will, act decisively on any allegations of misconduct, as we did in this case.” The Charles River Medical Associates said it was never made aware of any complaints of “inappropriate conduct” by Todd and said it reached out to patients to report their concerns.
“We are deeply troubled and saddened by these disturbing allegations and recognize the courage it took for these patients to come forward,” it said in a statement. Thompson said victims ranged in age from teenagers to women in their 60s. The lawsuit alleged Todd would gain their confidence, go beyond treating their rheumatic diseases and become their only doctor while conducting invasive, unnecessary exams.
(With agency inputs)
Comments
0 comment