Lawrence OB-GYN License Suspended Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations: NJ AG

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – A Lawrenceville-based OB-GYN had his license temporarily suspended after he sexually exploited two patients, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said Monday.

The State Board of Medical Examiners temporarily suspended the license of Bruce Pierce, who practiced at the Delaware Valley OBGYN & Princeton Midwifery in Lawrenceville.

Pierce is accused of engaging in professional misconduct, gross negligence and incompetence, and other violations of Board statutes and regulations by inappropriately touching two longtime female patients during exams last year.

The first woman told investigators that the incident took place in January 2023. The woman was a patient of Pierce since the mid-1990s.

According to the Verified complaint, after conducting a normal breast, pelvic, and rectal exam on the patient in the presence of a female chaperone, Pierce dismissed the chaperone and asked the woman if he could repeat the exam. When she asked him why that was necessary, he allegedly told her “sometimes things change as we get older” and that he wanted to “double check things to be sure.” During the second exam, Pierce inappropriately touched the woman, according to the testimony.

After speaking with a work supervisor and some family members, the woman decided to report the incident to the Lawrence Township Police and file a complaint with the Board.

In her complaint, the woman said the misconduct by her trusted physician negatively impacted her life and emotional health.

The second incident, took place in December 2023. The woman sought an appointment with Pierce after experiencing pelvic pain. During the visit, she underwent an ultrasound conducted by a lab technician and was then taken into an examination room. Pierce allegedly came into the room and told the woman that her ultrasound looked fine and asked her if she wanted a female chaperone during his examination of her, an offer she declined, according to the testimony.

During the examination, Pierce allegedly inappropriately touched the woman. Feeling uncomfortable, the woman asked Pierce to stop. In her testimony before the Board, the woman said she declined to have a chaperone present because she trusted Pierce, who had been her OB-GYN for more than 20 years and had delivered her child.

Approximately two hours after the woman left Pierce’s office, he allegedly called her from his cell phone to ask if she was “okay.” The woman, who was still in shock and upset, ended the call quickly by indicating that she was “okay,” according to the testimony.

Two days later, she allegedly sent Pierce a text message telling him that initially after the appointment, she was “in a state of shock,” but that upon reflection, her feelings of shock had been replaced with those of “fury and disgust.”

She explained that she realized his behavior was “unprofessional and unacceptable” and accused Pierce of having “abused her good faith.”

The woman said in her testimony that her “only mistake” was not having requested a chaperone before the exam, but, because she trusted him as her long-time physician, she did not think one was necessary.

The woman informed Pierce she would not be using his practice ever again and expressed concern about him engaging in similar misconduct with other patients.

On the same day, Pierce allegedly replied to the woman’s text message by stating: “Okay, I’m so sorry, I upset you. It will never happen again I do value our 20 plus year doctor patient relationship. Thank you for not making it public. My career will be over, and I don’t know what I would do. I hope you can forgive me. This will never happen again. I understand that you are leaving the practice, but I hope you will reconsider and give me one more chance.”

The woman subsequently reported the alleged incident to the Board, in part to prevent Pierce from abusing other unsuspecting patients.

During a hearing before the Board on Nov. 13, attorneys with the New Jersey Division of Law’s Professional Boards Prosecution (PBP) Section petitioned for the temporary suspension of Pierce’s license, arguing that allowing him to continue practicing pending the resolution of the allegations against him would present a “clear and imminent danger to the health, safety, and welfare of the public.”

The Board then voted unanimously to temporarily suspend Pierce’s license pending the outcome of a hearing in the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law.

“Patients who submit to sensitive medical exams place their trust in the expertise and professionalism of their practitioner. When physicians abuse that trust for their own sexual gratification, the consequences can be devastating,” Platkin said in a statement. “The Board action announced today is the result of my office’s continued commitment to rooting out and halting sexual misconduct in healthcare settings.”

Patients who believe that they have been treated by a licensed health care professional in an inappropriate manner can file an online complaint with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 (toll free within New Jersey) or 973-504-6200.

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