Cincinnati urologist Dr. Michael Rousseau has been charged with rape and sexual battery after allegedly admitting to sexually assaulting a patient with a diagnosed mental condition, according to court documents. Rousseau, who sees patients at The Urology Group's Eastgate office in Union Township, is being held on a $1 million bond and is due back in court next Friday.
According to court documents obtained by FOX19, the case began when the patient reported to Union Township police on April 24 that Rousseau asked her to perform sexual acts while exposing himself. The complaint states that the victim performed sexual acts on Rousseau and that he exposed himself during the encounter. Court documents also quote Rousseau as telling the victim, "This has to stay between you and me." The victim is substantially impaired because of a diagnosed mental condition, according to the complaint.
Doctor Admitted to Encounter During Medical Board Interview
Rousseau met with a State Medical Board of Ohio investigator last Thursday and admitted to embracing and kissing the victim, per court documents. He reportedly described the assault to the investigator as a lack of judgment.
The medical board was notified of the incident and opened its own investigation into Rousseau, according to court documents. That inquiry runs alongside the criminal case, and statements physicians give to board investigators can, in some circumstances, be shared with law enforcement for prosecution, according to Akron Legal News. Ohio Supreme Court precedent allows those investigative statements to be used in criminal court when no explicit threat of license loss was made to compel the testimony, per the same publication.
Victim Reiterated Her Account This Week
The victim gave a second interview to investigators on Monday, in which she reiterated the elements of the assault, court documents show.
The investigation was carried out by the Union Township Police Department, a nationally accredited agency in Clermont County that operates its own 24/7 emergency communications center, according to Union Township, Clermont County. The township, which sits immediately east of Cincinnati, is the county's most populous.
What Rousseau Faces If Convicted
Rousseau is charged with one count of rape and one count of sexual battery. Under Ohio Laws, sexual battery occurs when someone engages in sexual conduct with a person who is not their spouse while knowing that person's ability to appraise or control their own conduct is substantially impaired. A conviction on that third-degree felony carries one to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, along with mandatory sex offender registration, according to the Wieczorek Law Firm.
The rape charge carries steeper consequences. Under Ohio Revised Code § 2907.02, rape involving a victim who is substantially impaired is a first-degree felony that carries a mandatory three to 11 years in prison upon conviction, per The Meade Law Group.
A Three-Decade Career in Cincinnati Urology
Rousseau graduated from the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine in 1990 and completed his surgical and urologic residency training at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, according to The Urology Group. He is board certified by the American Board of Urology and has practiced in the Cincinnati area for more than three decades, per the same source. Rousseau treated patients at the group's Eastgate office at 4360 Ferguson Drive while holding clinical affiliations with Mercy Health-Anderson Hospital and The Jewish Hospital, according to Healthgrades.
The Urology Group is one of the nation's largest independent single-specialty urology practices, employing more than 30 physicians across over 15 locations in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, according to the Cincinnati Business Courier.
New State Law Expands Oversight of Accused Physicians
The case unfolds under heightened scrutiny of physician misconduct in Ohio. Under Substitute Senate Bill 109, which took effect March 21, 2025, the State Medical Board of Ohio can summarily suspend a medical license when a practitioner is charged with a felony that constitutes a disciplinary violation, according to the State Medical Board of Ohio. A license is separately subject to automatic suspension upon a conviction or guilty plea for felony sex offenses such as rape or sexual battery, per Akron Legal News.
Senate Bill 109 followed recommendations from a state working group aimed at curbing medical sexual misconduct and closing gaps between licensing boards and criminal prosecutors, according to Dinsmore & Shohl LLP. The 2024 legislation also created 30-day mandatory reporting deadlines for health care facilities and individual licensees who become aware of misconduct investigations, per the same law firm.
