NYU Eye Doctor’s Disability Verdict Upheld With Reduced Damages

The evidence presented by an ophthalmologist and professor of medicine at New York University supported the jury’s verdict that he was unlawfully fired after developing severe complications from Covid-19, a federal court said.

The jury’s liability verdict against NYU was reasonable, but the damages awarded except for back pay were too high, Judge Jennifer L. Rochon of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said Wednesday.

Habeeb Ahmad was the chief of service in NYU Langone’s Ophthalmology Department. In March 2020, he contracted Covid and was in a coma for two months.

When Ahmad was released ...