A retired South Shore pediatrician has pleaded not guilty to 20 charges of rape and assault and battery on children.

Dr. Richard A. Kauff, 68, of Norwell, waived a reading of his indictment in the brief arraignment before Judge Robert Gordon in the Brockton session of Plymouth Superior Court. He spoke only to say “Not guilty” to each of the charges and to state that he understood his bail conditions.

Kauff 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. Judge Gordon maintained the $50,000 cash bail and release conditions set at Kauff’s lower-court arraignment after confirming there had been no defaults or problems with the conditions.

A grand jury investigation uncovered eighteen different victims spanning twenty-three years, according to the Plymouth District Attorney’s office.

Kauff was initially arraigned in Hingham District Court and indicted on these charges on June 28.

Kauff, according to prosecutors, worked as a pediatrician since 1983, most recently in conjunction with the South Shore Medical Center in Norwell until retiring in 2022. He worked in both Norwell and an extension office in Kingston.

The allegations began the year after Kauff retired, with one victim posting to a Facebook group on Oct. 4, 2023, an allegation of a sexual assault during an annual checkup. A different alleged victim made a similar allegation to the Norwell Police the following day. After the police sought charges at the district court, the DA’s office states, more than three dozen more alleged victims came forward with similar allegations.