In April 2024, Wiley learned that her son had died by suicide. She immediately took personal leave. She had also been scheduled for surgery to repair a diaphragmatic hernia, which was performed on May 1, 2024. Her short-term disability was approved through the parties’ disability insurer, New York Life Group Benefits, with a six-week recovery period.
Yet according to the filing, State Farm sent Wiley a notice requiring her to return by May 15 — about two weeks after surgery. Her attorney had to send correspondence to the disability insurer stating that she had not been released by her treating physician and should not have received a return-to-work notice.
While recovering, Wiley sought treatment for the psychological effects of her son’s death. A psychiatrist diagnosed her with PTSD and severe depression, and her short-term disability was subsequently approved for those conditions as well.
What followed, the lawsuit alleges, was a stream of phone calls, text messages, and emails from State Farm pressing her about when she would come back — all while she was on approved leave. Her duties included reviewing photographs and files from auto accidents resulting in fatalities, and the filing states that the thought of returning to those duties while grieving only worsened her condition.
By December 2024, Wiley had exhausted her short-term disability. The lawsuit says the ongoing contact from her employer left her unable to mentally and physically heal, and her treatment team could not clear her to return. She transitioned to long-term disability starting January 15, 2025.