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Image: Seal of the New Jersey Superior Court, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
Thirteen more women have filed a lawsuit accusing former New Jersey gynecologist Bruce Pierce of sexually abusing patients during routine medical appointments, bringing the number of women who have come forward in civil cases to at least 45, NewJerseyMonitor.com reported.
The latest complaint [PDF], filed October 13 in Mercer County Superior Court, alleges that Pierce used his position as a trusted physician to sexually assault women, some of whom had been his patients for years.
The lawsuit also names several healthcare organizations accused of failing to recognize or respond to warning signs that patients were being abused.
Pierce, who practiced at Delaware Valley OB-GYN and Infertility Group in Lawrenceville, had his medical license suspended in 2024 following a state investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
New Lawsuit Alleges Years of Sexual Abuse During Medical Exams
According to the latest complaint, the alleged abuse dates back to at least 2003.
The 13 plaintiffs include women who had recently begun seeing Pierce, longtime patients and women receiving prenatal care.
Some had developed close relationships with the physician over years of treatment. One woman reportedly considered Pierce so much a part of her family that she invited him to her children’s wedding.
The women allege that Pierce took advantage of the trust patients placed in him during sensitive medical examinations.
They describe lasting consequences, including anxiety, depression, emotional distress and difficulty trusting healthcare professionals.
Some have avoided gynecological examinations and other medical appointments because of their experiences, according to the lawsuit.
Healthcare Companies Accused of Ignoring Warning Signs
The latest lawsuit doesn’t focus solely on Pierce’s alleged misconduct.
It also accuses Delaware Valley OB-GYN and Infertility Group, Lifeline Medical Associates and Unified Women’s Healthcare of failing to adequately supervise the physician and protect patients.
The plaintiffs allege that the organizations allowed Pierce to continue treating women despite warning signs of inappropriate behavior.
They also contend that inadequate oversight and failures to report suspected misconduct created opportunities for the alleged abuse to continue.
These allegations echo concerns raised in earlier lawsuits.
In July 2026, 31 women filed a separate civil complaint alleging sexual abuse by Pierce during medical examinations.
According to that lawsuit, at least eight patients had reported concerns about Pierce’s conduct to other clinic employees. Some alleged incidents occurred while chaperones were present in examination rooms.
Two additional women subsequently filed separate lawsuits in Mercer County.
New Jersey Medical Board Suspended Pierce’s License in 2024
Concerns about Pierce’s conduct had already reached state regulators before the recent wave of civil lawsuits.
In December 2024, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office announced that the State Board of Medical Examiners had temporarily suspended Pierce’s license after hearing testimony from two former patients.
Both women alleged that Pierce had touched them inappropriately during medical examinations.
Following a November hearing, the board unanimously determined that the allegations were credible and that allowing Pierce to continue practicing posed a risk to patient safety.
The state accused him of professional misconduct, gross negligence and other violations of medical regulations.
The board’s action prevented Pierce from continuing to practice medicine while the disciplinary matter proceeded.
Why Hasn’t Pierce Been Criminally Charged?
Despite the growing number of civil allegations, Pierce had not been criminally charged as of October 13, 2026.
According to reporting by the New Jersey Monitor, Lawrence Township police had received at least 15 complaints involving alleged sexual abuse by Pierce.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that no criminal charges were pending but declined to discuss whether an investigation was underway.
Civil lawsuits and criminal prosecutions are separate legal proceedings.
A civil case can seek compensation for injuries and other damages, while criminal charges require prosecutors to determine whether the available evidence supports prosecution under criminal law.
Pierce’s lack of criminal charges does not prevent former patients from pursuing civil claims against him or the healthcare organizations they believe contributed to the alleged abuse.
Allegations Raise Questions About Patient Safety and Accountability
One of the most troubling aspects of the litigation is how long the alleged misconduct may have continued.
Pierce received his medical license in 1996 and treated patients for decades before state regulators intervened.
The lawsuits describe a pattern in which women allegedly experienced inappropriate conduct during medical examinations but had limited ability to recognize, challenge or report what was happening.
