--- description: A New Jersey driver has sued her former employer for requiring her to commute to work during rush hour, despite her insistence that she was at her wit's end with traffic jams. title: Anxious Driver Sues Employer Over Rush Hour Commute image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb09eeffae75c5cdf/698699303617607a7c90cca2/121938242.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Careers & Workplace](/tag/careers-workplace/) ## Careers & Workplace Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # New Jersey Woman Sues Employer Over Stressful Commute  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 25, 2014 4:26 PM CUT  Drivers climb out of their cars to survey a traffic jam on August 23, 2011 in Washington D.C. Drivers climb out of their cars to survey a traffic jam on August 23, 2011 in Washington D.C.Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 25, 2014 4:26 PM CUT A New Jersey driver has sued her former employer for requiring her to commute during rush hour. The _Courier—Post_ [reports](http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2014/06/23/woman-files-suit-former-employer-anxiety-driving/11295415/ "undefined") that Andrea DeGerolamo suffered from a condition that may sound familiar to anyone who has attempted to navigate the New Jersey turnpike. According to her filing, DeGerolamo suffered from “anxiety and depression, which was especially aggravated by crowded roadways experienced during the heavy traffic of rush hour.” DeGerolamo’s traffic-induced anxiety, however, was especially acute, rising to the level of a medically diagnosed “disability,” according to her court documents. She requested a revised work schedule, “by which she could come in after morning rush hour and leave prior to evening rush hour.” Her former employer, Fulton Financial, allegedly made no attempt to accommodate her request, downgraded her tasks to “clerical” work and eventually fired her on May 17. She has sued for an unspecified amount of financial damages. \[[_New Jersey Courier-Post_](http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2014/06/23/woman-files-suit-former-employer-anxiety-driving/11295415/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2921127/new-jersey-commute-anxiety/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2921127/new-jersey-commute-anxiety/"},"headline":"New Jersey Woman Sues Employer Over Stressful Commute","datePublished":"2014-06-25T16:26:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:36:57.743Z","description":"A New Jersey court will decide whether traffic jams are not just an inconvenience, but a trigger for anxiety and depression","url":"https://time.com/2921127/new-jersey-commute-anxiety/","keywords":["Careers & Workplace","Traffic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb09eeffae75c5cdf/698699303617607a7c90cca2/121938242.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb09eeffae75c5cdf/698699303617607a7c90cca2/121938242.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"5.8 Earthquake Hits East Coast","caption":"5.8 Earthquake Hits East Coast","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/careers-workplace/","name":"Careers & Workplace"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2921127/new-jersey-commute-anxiety/","name":"New Jersey Woman Sues Employer Over Stressful Commute"}}]}] ```