Dental assistant fired for being ‘irresistible’
Dec 26, 2012, 8:02 PM | Updated: Dec 27, 2012, 2:33 am
Could you imagine being fired for being too attractive?
According to Yahoo!, one Iowa dental assistant was let go because her boss found her too “irresistible” and feared having an affair with her.
But there was one problem: Melissa Nelson was not attracted to her boss, Dr. James Knight.
The two never had a sexual relationship or sought one, according to court documents, however in the final year and a half of Nelson’s employment, Knight began to make comments about her clothing being too tight or distracting.
“Dr. Knight acknowledges he once told Nelson that if she saw his pants bulging, she would know her clothing was too revealing,” the justices wrote.
When she was fired, Nelson sued Knight for gender discrimination. On Friday, an all-male Iowa State Supreme Court confirmed a lower court’s decision that Knight was within his legal rights.
Court documents show that Nelson and Knight exchanged text messages, a majority of which were mundane. However, in one text, Knight asked Nelson “how often she experienced an orgasm.”
Knight’s wife discovered the text messages and ordered him to fire Nelson. After consulting with the couple’s pastor, Knight fired Nelson to preserve his marriage.
Knight maintains that Nelson was a good employee, but was fired for behavioral and dress issues.