Fired Medical Chief Loses Suit

The city of Los Angeles’ former acting medical director, Dr. John Ong Jr., who claimed he was fired because he protested certifying physically unfit police and fire trainees, failed today in a court bid to get his job back.

Ong earned public attention in March, 1981, when he testified before a City Council committee that he and other physicians were being pressured by personnel administrators to certify candidates who had visual, psychological, orthopedic and other problems. He claimed he was fired July 31, 1981, in retaliation for his appearance, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John L. Cole decided that Ong’s dismissal had nothing to do with the doctor’s comments to council members.