Iowa: OK to Fire ‘Irresistible’ Employees

It’s just so hard being beautiful. The all-male Iowa Supreme Court ruled unanimously Friday that a dentist who fired his assistant because he found her attractive and viewed her as a threat to his marriage acted lawfully. The court said that firing employees that bosses view as an “irresistible attraction”—even if no flirtatious behavior is involved—may be unfair, but it is not considered unlawful discrimination Iowa Civil Rights Act because the action is motivated by emotion, not gender. The dentist’s attorney called the ruling a victory for family values, as his client fired his employee in the interest of saving his marriage.