More than 200 women and several men accuse a doctor of sexual abuse and unnecessary examinations

BOSTON (AP) — More than a decade ago, Kristin Fritz suffered from spinal pain and saw a rheumatologist recommended by her doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

The visit with Dr. Derrick Todd started out normally for the 37-year-old New Hampshire woman. But as Todd progressed, he groped her breasts aggressively, she said, to the point where he “seemed to enjoy it a little too much.”

Only last year, when she was contacted by the hospital about Todd, she realized a line had been crossed. And she wasn’t alone.

“I feel so violated,” she told The Associated Press. “I feel so ashamed of not knowing what to do in the moment and thinking, yeah, that felt wrong and I should tell someone.”

The Associated Press generally does not identify possible victims of sexual abuse, but Fritz allowed his name to be used. She is one of more than 200 women and several men who have joined a consolidated lawsuit against Todd in Suffolk Superior Court in Massachusetts.

The suit, which combines several complaints filed last year, accuses Todd of performing unnecessary pelvic floor therapies, breast exams, testicular exams and rectal exams on patients.

It alleges that Todd – a former Brigham and Women’s Hospital rheumatologist whose specialty is treating inflammatory conditions of muscles, joints and bones – began abusing patients in 2010. He also accuses several dozen other defendants, including Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital and Charles River. Medical Associates, for being aware of the abuse and failing to stop it.

“It’s an extraordinary number of people who have placed their trust in Dr. Todd and have had that trust violated simply for their own personal, selfish gratification,” said William Thompson of Lubin & Meyer, whose Boston-based firm accounts for most of the victims.

“The other thing that strikes me about this case is how this could have happened in the hospital, in the practice group for so long without anyone realizing… that something was suspicious was happening,” he continued. “Yet they allowed him to continue doing it week after week, month after month, year after year, to more and more victims. »

Todd’s attorney, Anthony Abeln, said his client “will not litigate this case in the media, but will advocate for his care as the case moves through the Massachusetts Superior Court system.”

In April 2023, Brigham and Women’s received two anonymous complaints regarding Todd and launched an internal investigation. Todd was told he couldn’t perform sensitive exams without a chaperone. In June, he was placed on administrative leave, then fired a month later. The hospital said it also notified the Department of Public Health, the State Board of Medical Registration, law enforcement and its current and former patients.

In September, Todd entered into a voluntary agreement with the Board of Registration in Medicine to cease practicing medicine anywhere in the country. No criminal charges have been filed against Todd but several former patients have been questioned by law enforcement.

The Boston Globe reported last year that Todd was under investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. A spokesperson for the office said it would not comment on the matter.

“We are deeply troubled by the distressing allegations of harmful conduct committed by Dr. Todd,” the hospital said in a statement. “We take extremely seriously our duty to care for our patients and keep them safe. We have and always will, acting decisively in the face of any allegations of misconduct, as we have done in this case.

Charles River Medical Associates said it was never informed of any complaints of “inappropriate conduct” by Todd and said it contacted patients to express their concerns.

“We are deeply troubled and saddened by these disturbing allegations and recognize the courage it took for these patients to come forward,” he said in a statement.

Thompson said the victims ranged in age from teenagers to women in their 60s. The lawsuit alleged that Todd would gain their trust, go above and beyond treating their rheumatic illnesses, and become their sole doctor while performing invasive and unnecessary exams.

Among them was a 33-year-old woman from Massachusetts who had difficulty finding a doctor during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was thrilled that Todd called to help her with symptoms of tingling and numbness in her arms and hands.

For two years, Todd became her primary doctor and gynecologist and, according to the lawsuit, the abuse escalated during her visits, including repeated vaginal exams. She said Todd regularly commented on her body, asked her to undress and made sure she was unaccompanied during exams.

“Honestly, it has impacted every part of my life because it takes over every part of me, from my self-confidence,” said the woman, who reported Todd to the medical board after discussing his behavior with her gynecologist and realized something was wrong.

Since learning there were many others and that Todd would no longer practice medicine, she said a weight “has been lifted off my chest,” although she struggles to cope. face. “Just thinking about work is extremely difficult,” she said. “I’m really, really, really struggling again today, a lot of time.”

As for Fritz, she recognized that this experience would stay with her for the rest of her life. But she takes comfort in knowing that Todd is already paying the price for his actions.

“You were a trusted healthcare professional in a world-class facility. You have abused and raped many, many patients. It’s just not right,” Fritz said of Todd. “For me, justice is that he can never practice again. He could never do this to women or any other patient he did this to.