Retired Massachusetts pediatrician pleads not guilty to abusing young patients

BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) — A retired Massachusetts pediatrician has pleaded not guilty to charges that he sexually abused at least 15 children who were his patients. Sixty-nine-year-old Dr. Richard A. Kauff appeared Friday in Plymouth Superior Court. He is charged with 11 counts of rape of a child with force and nine counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. Kauff was associated with the South Shore Medical Center until his retirement in 2022. He was indicted last month. The allegations were first raised in an anonymous post to a local Facebook group in October 2023. The person said they believed they were sexually assaulted during an annual checkup.