Gun-toting top orthopedic surgeon is fired for ogling at naked patients and rating the 'genitals of the day'

A gun-toting orthopedic surgeon has been fired from his prestigious role at a top Los Angeles teaching hospital following an investigation into his lewd behavior and secret business dealings. 

Dr Louis Kwong, formerly the head of orthopedics at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, was sacked after staffers complained of his antics for years, including sticking his finger in a hip wound of an unconscious patient and making sex noises. 

The top surgeon was also accused of ogling patients under their surgical covers and remarking on the 'genitals of the day' to his assistants, according to his discharge notice reported by the LA Times. 

Aside from his behavior at the hospital, Kwong was also fired after an investigation found he had a secret business deal with a medical device company that paid him over $700,000 which he never disclosed. 

Dr. Louis Kwong, the former head of the orthopedics department at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, has been fired following a two-year investigation into his lewd behavior. He is pictured with a gun on his hip inside his surgery office 

The top LA surgeon faced a slew of allegations over sexual harassment and outrageous antics in his surgeries, including poking his finger in an unconscious patient's wound while making sex noises

Kwong's sacking comes after female staff at his hospital launched a lawsuit against him, claiming their allegations went ignored for years before they were also fired in retaliation. 

This included Dr Haleh Badkoobehi alleging that Kwong asked other employees if they wanted to 'take body shots' off her, and Dr Madonna Fernandez-Frackelton claiming she was removed from her position after she reported his antics.  

Allegations against Kwong dated back to 2021, as they triggered a two-year investigation that ultimately ended in his firing. Because of county policy, Kwong was paid in full throughout the investigation, during which time he earned over $1 million. 

Among the accusations brought against the top doctor also included discussions of his preference for 'auto-erotic asphyxiation', flashing an anesthetized patient's penis to female staff, and asking for a baseball game to be put on TV during surgery. 

As a volunteer sheriff deputy alongside his role at the hospital, images also show Kwong walking around his hospital with a gun strapped to his side. 

His discharge notice did not mention the firearm, but did say he was cited for bringing a personal knife into operating rooms at least once. 

Kwong first began working at the hospital in 2007, and rapidly rose up the ranks as job performance reviews noted he had 'exemplary' work. According to online filings, he has an adult son and lives in a $1.5 million California apartment. 

While leading the hospital's orthopedics department, Kwong received over $700,000 from joint replacement company Zimmer Biomet, which he never reported to the county, investigators said. 

He flew twice to the company's Indiana headquarters on its private jet, with images showing him smiling in front of the aircraft with medical residents from his hospital. 

Kwong was also cited for consulting work for the Lundquist Institute, a private research facility next door to his hospital, which he reportedly did not disclose either.

In his firing notice, it was said that Kwong's 'decision to hide your employment with these companies for 6 years demonstrates your propensity for dishonesty.' 

Kwong was cited for failing to disclose his business agreement with Zimmer Biomet, where he was paid $700,000 and took trips on their private jet (pictured far left) 

Dr Haleh Badkoobehi alleged that the surgeon asked other employees if they wanted to 'take body shots' off her 

Dr Madonna Fernandez-Frackeltonsays she was removed as program director of the emergency department and was replaced by a less experienced man after she complained 

Dr Jennifer Hsu, who also launched the lawsuit alongside two of her colleagues, claimed Kwong would constantly re-schedule major surgeries and forced others to work around him 

Griselda Gutierrez, the hospital's chief medical officer, wrote a scathing assessment of Kwong's conduct in his firing notice, saying: 'Your inappropriate, disparaging comments and actions were offensive, and created an uncomfortable, hostile, and demoralizing work environment for others.' 

While allegations in the lawsuit only triggered an investigation in 2021, concerns over his conduct were first cited by his secretary over a decade ago, alleging he would often remark on the grooming of anesthetized patients' pubic hair, reports the LA Times.  

His conflict of interest with Zimmer Biomet were also first raised in 2016, amid scrutiny over how the hospital handled years-long allegations against Kwong. 

When the investigation into him was launched in 2021, the hospital hired law firm Sheppard Mulin to look into the claims while Kwong was placed on paid leave the next spring. 

Because of county policy, Kwong still received full pay throughout the probe, and he reportedly made over $1 million without working. 

Salary records found that in 2023, when he did not work a single day, Kwong was the eighth highest paid county employee. 

The Harbor-UCLA hospital primarily treats poor and uninsured patients, and helps train resident student medics. Amid the investigation into Kwong, several residents complained that his orthopedics department created an 'unprofessional and toxic work environment.' 

According to Kwong's reported discharge notice, this included a culture of racism and sexism within his orthopedics department, as staffers told investigators a resident said a black resident candidate 'looked like he raped cheerleaders.' 

Residents also allegedly referred to black patients as BAP - stood for 'Black Angry Patients' - and Kwong allegedly compared two black residents as 'brother versus brother.' 

At an end-of-year 'roast' awards show, it was also reportedly remarked how 'certain female residents like it on top.'  

Kwong seen during an interview on arthritis in 2017 

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center was placed on probation amid the investigation, and is one of just six teaching hospitals under probation across America

The hospital was placed on probation amid the investigation, and is one of just six teaching hospitals under probation across America. 

Kwong denied the allegations against him, and appealed his firing to the Civil Service Commission, as his attorney said he was at risk of becoming a 'scapegoat' for issues across the county. 

Attorney Michelle Finkel Ferber told the LA Times that her client denied or had no recollection of the allegations, adding that he 'disagrees with the County's decision to terminate his employment and denies the manufactured allegations against him.' 

'Dr. Kwong looks forward to defeating these sensationalized claims through the appeals process, not in the press,' she said. 

Ferber added that he was never compensated for his work by the Lundquist Institute, and argued that his failure to disclose his payments from Zimmer Biomet were based on a lack of understanding of county policy. 

The Department of Health Services said in a statement that it has a 'zero tolerance' policy over allegations of misconduct. 

'We have established clear channels for reporting allegations of misconduct so they can be thoroughly investigated,' the department said. 

'We wish to express our gratitude to those who utilized this process to bring their concerns to our attention.'