'Bridge-Gate' Attorneys Make Their Case: You Can't Sue Over Traffic

Paul Berger digs into court documents filed Tuesday on behalf of a slew of defendants, including the state of New Jersey and the Port Authority," in response to a "class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Bergen County commuters and taxi drivers who were stalled in traffic when two Fort Lee access lanes to the George Washington Bridge were closed without notice in September 2013."

The lawsuit has brought renewed focus on "Bridge-gate," with the back and forth between lawyers providing some perspective about the way the public thinks about traffic. "The class-action suit was filed at the beginning of 2014 on behalf of commuters and taxi drivers who say they used gas, lost time, and suffered emotional and economic damages because of delays caused by the closure of two of the three access lanes to the GWB in Fort Lee" according to Berger. In response, the defendants' case sums up like so: "You can’t sue for getting stuck in a traffic jam."

One class action lawsuit has already been tossed out of court. U.S. District Judge Jose Linares in June dismissed a case involving the same parties pack in August. The plaintiffs were, however, offered a chance to resubmit its case with additional facts to support its claims.