Attorneys for a former Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety employee are citing his economic condition and his mental health, which include suicidal thoughts, in seeking an expedited trial of his lawsuit alleging that he was ousted in 2019 after raising concerns at the agency about overcharging of customers and other issues.
Steve Ongele, a former bureau chief with the building department, filed a whistleblower retaliation suit in Los Angeles Superior Court in January 2021, alleging that his termination was aimed at inducing workers to avoid speaking out about alleged wrongdoing by the city and its employees of they want to keep their jobs.
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On Thursday, lawyers for the 59-year-old Ongele filed pleadings with Judge Christopher K. Lui stating that their client is $50,000 in debt and has been unable to work due to debilitating mental and physical conditions. They are asking that his trial take place within 120 days of a court order on the motion, which is scheduled for hearing March 19.
"Over the past year, and particularly over the last several months, plaintiff's cognitive and emotional health have declined to the point where he is now struggling regularly with remembering circumstances and events, expressing himself verbally and responding to questions about simple matters," Ongele's attorneys further state in their court papers.
During one recent conversation with one of his lawyers, Ongele abruptly stopped talking to his counsel and asked if he could instead send her an email, his lawyers write in their court papers.
In addition, Ongele since late 2023 has had suicidal ideations which have increased in frequency and severity to the point where his therapist recently worked with him to develop a safety plan so he has steps he can take to avoid harming himself," according to Ongele's lawyers court papers.
In his own sworn declaration, Ongele acknowledges he has cognitive issues. He says he is willing to skip his daughter's scheduled East Coast college graduation in May if his case can be resolved earlier than November.
In their court papers, the City Attorney's Office denies Ongele's allegations, maintains they are barred in whole or in part by the statute of limitations and that the city has immunity against them.
According to his suit, Ongele maintains that in the fall of 2013 he told then-LADBS Executive Officer Raymond Chan that the department was collecting more fees than it was spending and that he believed studies should be done to ensure that the city was not violating laws requiring that the fees be proportional to the costs of providing those services.
In response, Chan put his hands in the air and stated, "Arrest me," the suit alleges.
In late 2016, Ongele found out that several salaried department employees who were exempt from overtime pay had nonetheless been paid overtime for many years and he insisted to management that the employees refund the money, according to the suit.
In the fall of 2017, Ongele reported that the department had a surplus of more than $300 million in its enterprise fund due to severe overcharges of customers, including the federal government, the suit states.
Ongele was subjected to retaliation, but his internal complaint was dismissed and he was terminated in October 2019, according to the suit, which further states that before Ongele departed, Chan was named deputy mayor for economic development by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti.
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