A federal judge in Camden has tossed a $3.5 million jury verdict in an employment dispute after ruling the plaintiff’s claim for defamation by her employer was barred by a one-year statute of limitations.

The finding that the claim was time-barred comes after four years of litigation and a four-day trial. U.S. District Judge Renee Bumb of the District of New Jersey admitted it was “odd” the statute of limitations issue came before her so late in the case, which was pending in state court for more than two years before its removal to federal court.