Worker Cites Claustrophobia, Sues Over Loss of Window Office

TOLEDO, Ohio — An office with a window was more than just a perk for Linda Burris. It was, she said, the only way she could work without feeling claustrophobic.

But when a new boss put her in an office without a view she began having panic attacks and had to quit, she said in a lawsuit seeking $2 million and back pay. She also wants her secretarial job back.

“I would start feeling panicky or shaky,” she said Friday. “After a while, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.”

Burris, 49, sued North Western Electric Cooperative Inc. of Bryan, Ohio, alleging the company violated federal law that protects the disabled from discrimination.

William Clevenger, president of North Western, acknowledged that he had Burris moved to an office that had no window so she could be closer to her supervisor. He wouldn’t comment extensively on the lawsuit.

“I don’t think we’ve done anything wrong,” he said.

Burris said the trouble began when Clevenger came to the company in 1997. She had worked there for 14 years as a secretary and receptionist. Burris said she’s always had claustrophobia and always had been accommodated with an office that had a window.

The move, though, to a windowless work space cluttered with stacks of paper caused friction between her and Clevenger.

Burris said she began suffering from high blood pressure and migraines.

After that, her desk was moved into a hallway for two months, then into another enclosed office, she said. She quit about four months later, in August.

“It was real clear they wanted her out,” said Burris’ attorney, James Weinandy.

No hearing dates have been set in the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Toledo last month.

Judge David Katz will have to decide whether Burris’ claustrophobia limits a “major life activity.” If it doesn’t, she wouldn’t be protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act.