LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — A lawsuit filed July 29 in Mercer County Superior Court accuses a former Lawrenceville OB-GYN of sexually abusing patients during medical examinations over several decades, and accuses his practice of failing to stop it despite warning signs.
The complaint, filed by 31 women identified only by their initials, names Dr. Bruce R. Pierce and Delaware Valley OBGYN and Infertility Group as defendants. The plaintiffs range in the alleged incidents from the year 2000 through 2024, with most describing care received at the practice's Lawrenceville office on Princess Road, as well as locations in Princeton and East Windsor.
According to the complaint, Pierce was employed as an OB-GYN at Delaware Valley from the 1990s until around 2024. The plaintiffs allege that during what were presented as routine examinations, Pierce engaged in inappropriate touching, performed medically unnecessary and painful procedures, and made sexually inappropriate comments, often without a chaperone present.
"Pierce intentionally targeted Plaintiffs at times when they were vulnerable, unclothed, or in private medical settings, exploiting their trust in Delaware Valley and its providers," the lawsuit states. "Pierce acted with the intent to cause Plaintiffs severe emotional distress, or, at a minimum, with reckless disregard of the substantial likelihood that his conduct would cause such distress."
The New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners suspended Pierce's medical license on Nov. 25, 2024, citing what the board called credible evidence that he sexually exploited two patients under the guise of providing routine care.
On Dec. 9, 2024, the board entered an order permanently revoking his license, finding Pierce in violation of multiple state statutes, including provisions addressing gross negligence, repeated negligence, professional misconduct and sexual misconduct.
In its order, the board wrote that Pierce's conduct "unquestionably presents a continuing and immediate danger to any and all of Dr. Pierce's patients," and that "there are no measures short of a full, immediate temporary suspension of license that we could craft which would adequately protect Respondent's patients from such egregious conduct."
The lawsuit alleges Delaware Valley failed to adequately screen, train and supervise Pierce despite red flags spanning years. According to the complaint, the practice "knew or should have known of a risk of sexually exploitive or abusive behavior occurring" and failed to establish adequate policies to prevent it.
The complaint includes 13 counts against Pierce and Delaware Valley, including corporate negligence, vicarious liability, negligent hiring and retention, medical malpractice, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and violations of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages and have demanded a jury trial.
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