Massachusetts rheumatologist accused of assaulting over a dozen patients
Industry Buzz
There's power in numbers, and individually, these patients lacked that power... My clients, in the most vulnerable positions, put their trust in Dr. Todd, and he abused that, and he did it solely for his own personal sexual gratification.
—William Thompson, attorney
For most physicians, the exam room is a space built on vulnerability, trust, and the expectation that both will be honored.
The unfolding criminal case against Massachusetts rheumatologist Derrick Todd is a stark reminder of what happens when that contract is broken—and how far the ripple effects can extend across patients, institutions, and the profession itself. []
A case that keeps expanding
A former physician affiliated with Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dr. Todd, has been released without bail after pleading not guilty to 81 new sexual assault charges.[]
The new charges stem from accusations made by 22 victims. He faces 21 new rape charges, 59 new counts of indecent assault and battery, and one count of assault with intent to rape.[]
He has been ordered to stay away from the patients who have accused him and wear a GPS monitor to ensure he stays in Massachusetts and obeys and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. He was deemed not to be a flight risk.[]
Prosecutors say Dr. Todd's patients came to him "in a vulnerable place." The new accusers range in age between 17 and 56 years old.[]
This is not an isolated set of allegations.
Dr. Todd is currently out on $10,000 bail in a separate case after pleading not guilty to two rape charges last year in Middlesex County, where he was also charged in March with three counts of rape and 17 counts of indecent assault and battery.[]
He was also previous charged with assaulting two patients and named in a civil lawsuit involving more than 200 former patients alleging sexual abuse during medical exams.[]In total, Dr. Todd is facing more than 100 charges of sexual abuse in Massachusetts.[]
Related: 8 outrageous malpractice cases—and what physicians can learn from themThe clinical details are what make this case especially unsettling
Prosecutors say Dr. Todd []:
Performed unnecessary pelvic floor therapy and breast, testicular, and rectal exams
Conducted prolonged, painful, or unnecessary procedures
Carried out exams outside his training or certification
Made inappropriate sexual comments during exams
The uncomfortable truth: Medicine creates inherent asymmetry
"There's power in numbers, and individually, these patients lacked that power—Dr. Todd had that power, and he abused that power," said attorney William Thompson, who serves as the civil lead counsel for the plaintiffs. "My clients, in the most vulnerable positions, put their trust in Dr. Todd, and he abused that, and he did it solely for his own personal sexual gratification." []
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan echoed similar sentiments, describing the allegations as “an extraordinary exploitation of a patient’s vulnerability.” []
That phrase lands differently for clinicians because of the vulnerabilities built into clinical workflows:
Patients undress because we ask them to
They tolerate discomfort because we frame it as necessary
They defer judgment because we hold expertise
In specialties where exams are already intimate or ambiguous, the line between appropriate and inappropriate can feel opaque to patients in real time.
Where were the safeguards?
The timeline raises questions that will feel familiar—and uncomfortable—to many health systems:
Alleged misconduct dates back as far as 2010 []
Internal action appears to have followed anonymous complaints in 2023 []
A class action lawsuit now includes hundreds of patients []
This isn’t just about one physician; it’s about:
Chaperone policies (Were they consistent? Enforced?)
Scope-of-practice clarity (Would a rheumatologist performing pelvic exams raise flags?)
Peer visibility (Did colleagues notice patterns—or miss them?)
Institutional escalation pathways (Did concerns stall?)
What this means for your practice (even if it feels distant)
Cases like this can feel like outliers, but they tend to trigger very real downstream effects. When cases like this hit the news cycle, consider the following:
1. Patients may trust less—and question more
This could mean more requests for chaperones, more hesitation around physical exams, and more second-guessing of clinical necessity.
2. Documentation and consent will matter more than ever
Pre-empt this in the clinic with clear, explicit rationale for things like sensitive exams, their expected duration, and any deviations from standard practice.
3. Systems—not individuals—will be scrutinized
Hospitals and groups may face increasing pressure to audit exam patterns and track outliers in procedure frequency.