Meet Melissa Nelson. She worked as a dental assistant for 10 years, until her boss opted to fire her for being sexually attractive. Yep, although she’s happily married and was a consummate professional on the job, dentist James Knight felt Nelson was just too darn tempting. So to preserve his marriage, he gave her the heave-ho. That’s the crazy part. Then Nelson sued (understandably, no doubt), with the case making it all the way to the Iowa Supreme Court. Now for the crazier part: the judicial panel (all male,worth noting) unanimously agreed that Knight had done nothing wrong. And because the case involves state laws, it can’t be appealed in a federal court. The end.
Small consolation: something tells me Dr. Knight’s business will be taking a hit, between the awful publicity and what I presume will be a mass exodus of clients. Let’s see how his wonderful marriage holds up against the threat of potential bankruptcy, shall we?
