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Saturday, July 13, 2013

Iowa Top Court: Firing Of Attractive Aide Is Legal

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday stood by its ruling that a dentist acted legally when he fired an assistant because he found her too attractive and worried he would try to start an affair.

Coming to the same conclusion as it did in December, the all-male court found that bosses can fire employees they see as threats to their marriages, even if the subordinates have not engaged in flirtatious or other inappropriate behavior. The court said such firings do not count as illegal sex discrimination because they are motivated by feelings, not gender.

The ruling upholds a judge's decision to dismiss a discrimination lawsuit filed against Fort Dodge dentist James Knight, who fired assistant Melissa Nelson, even while acknowledging she had been a stellar employee for 10 years. Knight and his wife believed that his attraction to Nelson - two decades younger than the dentist - had become a threat to their marriage. Nelson, now 33, was replaced by another woman; Knight had an all-female staff.

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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

The hilarious part...she's nowhere close to attractive. Of course, in Iowa you gotta choose between heifers and actual livestock.

Anonymous said...

Making coffee will help you keep your job.

Anonymous said...

It happens to men too.I was fired from a rock band because the leaders wife had a crush on me.

Anonymous said...

I call on all women in the USA to avoid this dentist because there is a strong reason to believe they might kick him in the ba!!s and therefore get themselves in trouble. I might not be able to help myself and I would not want to injure his family in that way if he made advances toward me or my daughter. I know that I would not trust any professional (so call) to have his hands any where near my body with such limited self control. And as far as the legal minds that condone this behavior...same thing.

Anonymous said...

4:26 PM..
I really believe your safe. The concern was "attractive women".

Daddio said...

Not so fast. This may set an unintended consequence and precedent:

Now it will be legal to fire "unattractive" folks as well. Equal protection under the law and all that jazz you know....

Anonymous said...

This whole post is just stupid. I have been married to the same woman for 45 years. The only time she got pissed at me was when I installed a strobe light in our bedroom, so when we were having sex it actually made her look like she was moving.

Anonymous said...

must suck to be the woman that was hired to replace the attractive woman. You were only hired because you're ugly enough to be suitable to work there.