Los Angeles County has been ordered to pay over $600,000 in damages to Dr. Timothy Jang, a physician who claims he faced retaliation for exposing racist behavior by another doctor and for raising concerns about faulty medical equipment.
The verdict was delivered by a jury at the Los Angeles Superior Court after a short deliberation period. Judge Jon R. Takasugi announced the verdict on Wednesday.
Dr. Jang, who serves as a physician and professor at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, filed the lawsuit against the county, the sole defendant in the case.
In his lawsuit, Jang stated that Dr. Roger Lewis, the chairman of the emergency department at the hospital, had instructed him not to hire foreign doctors for the ultrasound fellowship program.
Jang’s lawyers argued in court that he disobeyed this illegal order and reported it to the county and university.
Jang also alleged that Lewis made racist comments in the workplace and expressed concerns about ultrasound machines that apparently did not comply with federal regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
In response, Lewis reportedly increased Jang’s workload, refused to provide funding for a fellow for one year, and rejected Jang’s promotion to senior physician on two occasions, despite his seniority.
The lawsuit claimed that these actions resulted in significant financial losses for Jang. The jury awarded him a total of $603,610, with $150,000 allocated for past and future wage losses.
However, the county attorneys denied any wrongdoing on Lewis’ part, arguing that his actions were motivated by his efforts to manage the emergency department effectively and fairly.
The county attorneys also highlighted that since Jang’s employment at Harbor-UCLA in 2009, he has never faced demotion, disciplinary action, administrative leave, or pay reduction.
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