The moment these two started exchanging personal emails, the line had been crossed and the relationship was unprofessional. Why are they taking the time to email each other at all in a small business shop? Hmmmm?

And, if I found out that my wife was exchanging personal emails with her boss, you better believe I would correct his behavior.

The dental assistant was NOT fired because she’s pretty – she was fired because she interfered with a marraige. She earned her firing.

Further, that dentist is a cad and he had better be begging forgiveness. He owes his wife far better treatment than she has gotten.

Make her wear a burkha.

Iowa (where I live and work) is an “At Will” employment state. This means that any party (the employer or employee) can terminate their involvement at anytime and for any reason without advance notice or warning.

Rndguy on December 24, 2012 at 11:24 AM

It’s too bad there can’t even be the most basic common-sense clauses, like your business must be losing money or said employee is failing in their duties. I find it an insult to capitalism when employers can abuse their rights for such bullcr@p reasons.

It demotes American workers to being bootlickers afraid of Boss-Man’s merest whim, who can be sacked even if they’re doing 110% and their business is rolling in the dough.

It was especially puzzling since I’ve always been a nerd, even before the term was common. I guess you just can’t win.

If the concern by the spouse was that something might develop between the dentist and the assistant, despite both being married, all I can say is that something similar did happen and affected a relative of mine. Her husband ran off with his assistant and divorced her.

So while I don’t think it was particularly fair to the dental assistant, the possible concerns of the spouse about what might happen do not seem so far fetched to me.

Strange. The dentist sounds like an idiot

antisense on December 23, 2012 at 9:36 PM

I help idiots all the time. This couple wouldn’t be any different. I would help their marriage by quitting if they asked me to. I certainly would never want to be the reason any family split up.

Again, I certainly wouldn’t sue them for it.

… and a pervert.

It sounds like he became attracted to his dental assistant. That seems natural. It doesn’t seem perverted at all. Why did she tell him about the lack of sex in her own bedroom?

If some guy and his wife wanted me to stop working for them because they thought that I was a threat to their marriage, then I would be happy to quit me job. I would completely respect their efforts to try to preserve their family.

The last thing that I would do is sue them.

blink on December 23, 2012 at 8:49 PM

Strange. The dentist sounds like an idiot… and a pervert. He had the right to fire her but that doesn’t mean he isn’t an idiot or sexist.

There will be consequences. Oh, and this judge’s reasoning? Sounds like another Huckelberry “for the children”/”for my marriage” cliche line.

The last thing that I would do is sue them.

Hey, I can be honest and say some women do distract the workplace. Some men do too.

Grow up, Conservatives. And don’t try to deny that atleast 90% of you, are caucasians. In the next 30 years, thats gonna change drastically. And thats when you’ll get the minority tag, and understand discrimination due to race. You pooh-pooh this case now. Depending on your age, you or your kids are gonna whine later.

tommy71 on December 23, 2012 at 12:20 PM

That was some good insight into your own immature psychological makeup – thank you for the entertainment! :D

Of course, I’m from the school that believes any employer has the right to fire (or not hire) anyone he likes and for any reason. But that’s just the silly libertarian in me.

SukieTawdry on December 23, 2012 at 1:24 PM

There are people on the Right like me and you, who believe that people who build their own businesses do own them, and those who don’t, who believe that employers are there in some way to serve their employees, even if it certain employees of theirs make them miserable – these socialistic, dependent whiners don’t understand John Galt’s mentality, nor do they care to.

How can you reason with these selfish, overly emotional, delusional, depressed and depressing people on the Right who believe the world owes them a living somehow? Answer: you can’t – all you can expect is from them is to haughtily indicate that they are morally superior, more principled, and less emotional than you, causing much amusement!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2252135/Melissa-Nelson-Judges-married-dentist-fired-aide-said-irresistibly-attractive.html?ICO=most_read_module

If an employer repeatedly took adverse employment actions against persons of a particular gender because of alleged personal relationship issues, it might well be possible to infer that gender and not the relationship was a motivating factor.

Since Mr. Knight admittedly only employs women, he runs the risk of repeatedly failing to control his urges. Probably best that he quit working entirely to concentrate, temptation-free, solely on his wife.

Sachiko on December 22, 2012 at 4:36 PM
SoRight on December 22, 2012 at 9:41 PM
unclesmrgol on December 23, 2012 at 12:49 AM

Yep.

Dr. Knight later testified that he made these statements to Nelson because “I don’t think it’s good for me to see her wearing things that accentuate her body.”