Editor’s note: This article was first published in December 2012 as news of the Iowa Supreme Court ruling in Nelson v. Knight. The court later withdrew that opinion and reheard the case, reportedly issuing a new ruling in July 2013 with the same outcome; the article reflects only the December 2012 decision.
Being an attractive woman has its perks: such women can travel for free and even have a better chance of being hired at a job interview, especially when the interviewer is a man. But for Melissa Nelson, a dental assistant who had worked flawlessly for more than ten years at the practice of dentist James Knight, being good-looking has cost her her job. Her only sin was to unknowingly light a fire under her boss’s trousers.
As if that weren’t enough, the Iowa Supreme Court in the United States has ruled that it is perfectly legal to let an employee go if her boss is attracted to her, even when her record is spotless.
Melissa Nelson still can’t believe the ruling, because, as CNN reports, the dentist admitted that she was by far the best assistant he had ever had, something her ten years working for him bear out.
The dentist’s wife, who also worked at her husband’s practice, asked him to fire her, even though there had never been any flirting between the two and even though Melissa was married with children, just like the dentist.
In a case worthy of an episode of Boston Legal, the dentist admitted that he found it hard to concentrate when he was in the room with her because her clothes were too tight, and he told the court that being around her was like having a Lamborghini in the garage and not being able to drive it.
In the end, the court found no gender discrimination behind Melissa Nelson’s dismissal.
As I said, it’s just like an episode of Boston Legal, where the judge turned up dressed as a soldier and one of the lawyers is none other than Denny Crane.
Featured image: Paul R. Burley, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
