Melissa Nelson was fired for being too “irresistible” and a “threat” to her
employer’s marriage. How hilarious!
“I
think it is completely wrong,” Nelson said. “I think it is sending a message
that men can do whatever they want in the work force.”
On Friday, the all-male Iowa
State Supreme Court ruled that James Knight, Nelson’s boss, was within his
legal rights when he fired her, affirming the decision of a lower court.
“We do think the Iowa Supreme
Court got it completely right,” said Stuart Cochrane, an attorney for James
Knight. “Our position has always been Mrs. Nelson was never terminated because
of her gender, she was terminated because of concerns her behavior was not
appropriate in the workplace. She’s an attractive lady. Dr. Knight found her
behavior and dress to be inappropriate.”
For Nelson, a 32-year-old
married mother of two, the news of her firing and the rationale behind it came
as a shock.
“I was very surprised after
working so many years side by side I didn’t have any idea that that would have
crossed his mind,” she said.
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.
Six months before Nelson was
fired, she and her boss began exchanging text messages about work and personal
matters, such as updates about each of their children’s activities, the
justices wrote.
The messages were mostly
mundane, but Nelson recalled one text she received from her boss asking “how
often she experienced an orgasm.”
Nelson did not respond to the
text and never indicated that she was uncomfortable with Knight’s question,
according to court documents.
Soon after, Knight’s wife,
Jeanne, who also works at the practice, found out about the text messaging and
ordered her husband to fire Nelson.
The couple consulted with a
senior pastor at their church and he agreed that Nelson should be terminated in
order to protect their marriage, Cochrane said.
On Jan. 4, 2010, Nelson was
summoned to a meeting with Knight while a pastor was present. Knight then read
from a prepared statement telling Nelson she was fired.
“Dr. Knight felt like for the
best interest of his marriage and the best interest of hers to end their
employment relationship,” Cochrane said.
Knight acknowledged in court
documents that Nelson was good at her job and she, in turn, said she was
generally treated with respect.
“I’m devastated. I really am,”
Nelson said.
When Nelson’s husband tried to
reason with Knight, the dentist told him he “feared he would have an affair
with her down the road if he did not fire her.”
Paige Fiedler, Nelson’s
attorney, said in a statement to ABC News affiliate KCRG that she was
“appalled” by the ruling.
“We are appalled by the Court’s
ruling and its failure to understand the nature of gender bias.,” she wrote.
“Although people act for a
variety of reasons, it is very common for women to be targeted for
discrimination because of their sexual attractiveness or supposed lack of
sexual attractiveness. That is discrimination based on sex,” Fiedler wrote.
“Nearly every woman in Iowa understands this because we have experienced it for
ourselves.”
Source: Yahoo
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