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A Boston-area doctor is facing four separate lawsuits from over 100 women accusing him of sexually assaulting them during exams. Dr. Derrick Todd, who was a rheumatologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, is accused of performing pelvic, breast, and rectal exams on patients that weren't medically necessary.
Some of the allegations date back to 2011.
One of the alleged victims, Marianne DiTrani, said that she moved to Massachusetts to receive specialized care from Todd to treat her rare autoimmune conditions. She claims that he conducted sexualized breast and gynecological exams and spoke inappropriately about sex during her visits.
She had several in-person appointments with him from November to January but then started scheduling virtual appointments. However, he convinced her to move back to Massachusetts over the summer to resume in-person exams.
"When you trust someone to help you, you see them, and you're very vulnerable, and when they violate that trust, and they hurt you instead of heal you, it can be very frightening and not easy to process," DiTrani said at the news conference last week according to WBTS.
The claims against Todd are also being investigated by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and the Boston Police Department. However, no criminal charges have been filed against him.
Todd has since resigned from the hospital and has agreed not to practice medicine while the state medical board investigates the claims.