A former hospitalist at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island in Mineola, N.Y., has sued New York City-based NYU Langone Health, alleging the system fired her in March after she took maternity leave and developed postpartum spinal complications, according to court documents obtained by Becker’s.
Nicole Pettas, MD, filed the complaint Oct. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The suit names NYU Langone Health, the Long Island hospital and NYU Grossman School of Medicine, as well as two leaders: Dina Chenouda, MD, chief of the division of hospital medicine at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island, and Gloria Petralia, the hospital’s senior administrative director. It alleges pregnancy and disability discrimination, retaliation and violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act under federal and New York state law, along with breach of contract.
Dr. Pettas began her residency at the Long Island hospital in July 2022 and was hired as a full-time hospitalist and clinical instructor, effective July 1, 2025, under a two-year agreement, according to the complaint. She notified Dr. Chenouda of her pregnancy May 15, 2025, went into preterm labor and gave birth Aug. 13, 2025, and was scheduled to return from maternity leave Nov. 10.
Before that date, her orthopedist took her out of work for a spine-related problem, and a later note documented an evaluation for cervical herniated discs. Dr. Pettas continued submitting updated physician notes through the winter. The complaint alleges Dr. Chenouda called her during her leave and pressed her to return because of the division’s heavy flu-season workload.
In a Feb. 17 letter, Ms. Petralia told Dr. Pettas that the hospital provides up to six months of disability leave due to the birth of a child and that her benefit was exhausted as of that date. After Dr. Pettas submitted a note pushing her expected return to March 9, Ms. Petralia wrote again Feb. 27.
“Please understand that your absence impacts service to our patients and places a burden on other staff members,” Ms. Petralia wrote, according to the complaint. “For these reasons, we are unable to accommodate your current leave extension beyond 3/8/2026. If you are unable to return to work 3/9/2026 with or without a workplace accommodation, you may be released from employment.”
Dr. Pettas told Ms. Petralia March 6 that she could not return as planned and asked to discuss accommodations.
“I have repeatedly asked NYU Langone HR and administrators for the opportunity to discuss reasonable accommodations and have received no response,” she wrote. “I’m hopeful NYU will engage in the interactive process with me and that I can be accommodated instead of facing termination for disabling medical issues beyond my control.”
Ms. Petralia replied March 10, copying Dr. Chenouda, that the hospital’s records did not reflect a recent accommodation request and sent Dr. Pettas the system’s accommodation paperwork.
“At this time, we are unable to continue granting leave extensions beyond the approximate seven months already provided for your current accommodation given the indefinite nature of your requests,” Ms. Petralia wrote.
The complaint calls that characterization false, claiming Dr. Pettas had consistently provided physician notes with anticipated return dates. On March 18, she submitted an accommodation request for remote work with frequent breaks; her physician’s portion of the form described the condition as temporary, with an end date of approximately April 1.
On March 24, according to the complaint, an NYU employee and labor relations staff member told Dr. Pettas that Dr. Chenouda had full discretion over personnel and had decided to deny further leave or accommodation and end her employment. The next day, the system notified Dr. Pettas that she would be terminated, effective March 27.
The breach-of-contract claim centers on how her absence was counted. Her employment agreement allowed termination for disability only after 180 days of impairment-related absence within a 12-month period, and only after an interactive process and consideration of accommodation requests. The complaint argues her leave through Nov. 10 was maternity leave, not a physical or mental impairment, meaning only 137 days of disability-related absence had elapsed when she was fired.
Dr. Pettas objected to the decision in a March 26 email to the labor relations staffer.
“It’s unfortunate that after completing my residency and dedicating so much time and effort to patient care, I am not only being ‘released from employment’ due to the inability to accommodate me and my current medical condition, but I’m also being treated like this,” she wrote.
Dr. Pettas is seeking back pay, front pay or reinstatement, compensatory and punitive damages, liquidated damages under the FMLA and attorneys’ fees, and has requested a jury trial.
Becker’s has reached out to NYU Langone Health for comment and will update this story if more information becomes available.
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