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Iowa Court Rules Can Fire Based on Attraction


Hasina

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Iowa court rules boss can fire employee he considers an ‘irresistible attraction'

A dentist acted legally when he fired an assistant that he found attractive simply because he and his wife viewed the woman as a threat to their marriage, the all-male Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The court ruled 7-0 that bosses can fire employees they see as an "irresistible attraction," even if the employees have not engaged in flirtatious behavior or otherwise done anything wrong. Such firings may be unfair, but they are not unlawful discrimination under the Iowa Civil Rights Act because they are motivated by feelings and emotions, not gender, Justice Edward Mansfield wrote.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/22/iowa-court-rules-boss-can-fire-employee-considers-irresistible-attraction/

THIS IS A STUPID RULING! If you can't control yourself then we need laws protecting every aspect of when an affair could be initiated. I should be able to kick an attractive man off the buss cause I might end up snoggin' him! This is ridiculous!

Edited by Hasina
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Well, Iowa is an "At will" state which means an employer can fire you for good reason, bad reason, or no reason. The only question in this case is whether or not it was discrimination. I've seen people fired for being "too fat", "too stupid", "too annoying", "too handicapped", "too religious", and even in one instance being "too black". Each time it was for no cause. Mind you we do construction on a project-by-project basis, so everyone eventually gets fired or laid-off, so many of the workers don't even realize they are being terminated months or even years early because of a bias.

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I hope Mrs.Ealdwita doesn't see this thread - There's this stable girl working here, you see......

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Well, Iowa is an "At will" state which means an employer can fire you for good reason, bad reason, or no reason. The only question in this case is whether or not it was discrimination. I've seen people fired for being "too fat", "too stupid", "too annoying", "too handicapped", "too religious", and even in one instance being "too black". Each time it was for no cause. Mind you we do construction on a project-by-project basis, so everyone eventually gets fired or laid-off, so many of the workers don't even realize they are being terminated months or even years early because of a bias.

I didn't realize that about Iowa. Interesting. I guess there is both good and bad to the law.

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I laughed a little. But it sure is tough to get a new job these days. Especially a new one.

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I feel sorry for the person that replaces the fired worker.

What should they put on their application?? "Ugly enough not to be a threat to your marriage".

Edited by supervike
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Disgusting. I don't buy into the whole "man's weakness to an attractive woman" theory. It's not the woman's fault he can't, rather, doesn't control himself. The only threat to his marriage is himself. I don't care who you are, but if you love your wife enough, not only will you never cheat on her, but you won't ever even think about being with another woman.

I've had just about enough of blaming women for certain men's own weakness. Some may find this insulting but it's true. You can control yourself, you just chose not to.

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I agree completely with the vike and aquila, case closed. But...

and even in one instance being "too black".

WTF!! Too black? Seriously? I know it must of been a bummer for the guy/gal who was sacked but it just sounds hilariously stupid.

Is there a scale of blackness (1 to 10 with one being "not black enough" and ten being "too black")?

Has anyone ever been sacked for not being black enough?

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In that particular case, the project superintendant that fired him let slip to numerous people that the real reason he was fired was because he was black (and thus lazy). Eventually that got back to the former employee and he threatened to sue but settled out of court for $10 k. The project superintendant got fired a year or so later for employing his son on projects when his son was not there but suffered no consequence for the firing. The whole thing about the "At will" laws is that as long as you can keep the reasons to yourself, you can fire anyone.

The employer in the article seemed compelled to tell the former employee the reason for her termination in this case and that is what caused the whole up roar. If he had kept silent, she would have never known and this would have never made the news.

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dumbest rule ever

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Maybe the husband has a sexual addiction. Doesn't really matter, and it's none of the government's business if he did. This shouldn't have even gone to court to challenge the employer's decision to fire the woman in the first place. The laws pile up protecting employees from their employers and then we complain about the unemployment rate.

At Will is a terrific standard of employment. If an employer can hire you for any reason, it should also fire you for any reason. This entitlement complex people have to their paycheck makes people feel the manager can't have a personal reason to fire them. Personal reasons are legitimate. If I believe that someone I hired is going to be bad for productivity, it doesn't matter what the nature of that reason is. Maybe it's MY personal problem. Maybe not. It doesn't matter. Employees who are bad for business, whatever the reason, aren't the best qualified to be in that position at that company and employers should have every right to seek out other individuals who are.

Legitimate reasons for getting fired:

"I don't like the tone of voice you're using with me. You're fired."

"You didn't respond to that email I sent you yesterday. You're fired."

"You returned late again from lunch. You're fired."

"I don't like the way your hair smells. You're fired."

Employers aren't going to waste time and money playing games for no good reason. They have a business to run and businesses are expensive. But the implication is that employers don't have rights to fire the employees at will that they hired at will, and that's what's more ridiculous. This protectionist mindset that people should be protected from getting fired for personal reasons is going to bias the market towards hiring people one would have no problem firing indiscriminately (white males).

If this dentist couldn't control himself, and that very well may be true, why does his action need more laws when he took care of it himself? He protected himself and voluntarily fired the woman. What need is there for more laws? The legal shenanigans started when she sued him.

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Disgusting. I don't buy into the whole "man's weakness to an attractive woman" theory. It's not the woman's fault he can't, rather, doesn't control himself. The only threat to his marriage is himself. I don't care who you are, but if you love your wife enough, not only will you never cheat on her, but you won't ever even think about being with another woman.

I've had just about enough of blaming women for certain men's own weakness. Some may find this insulting but it's true. You can control yourself, you just chose not to.

Perfectly put! Let's go back to the dark ages here and blame the woman for the man's weakness.

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Disgusting. I don't buy into the whole "man's weakness to an attractive woman" theory. It's not the woman's fault he can't, rather, doesn't control himself. The only threat to his marriage is himself. I don't care who you are, but if you love your wife enough, not only will you never cheat on her, but you won't ever even think about being with another woman.

I've had just about enough of blaming women for certain men's own weakness. Some may find this insulting but it's true. You can control yourself, you just chose not to.

From what I read, it was the wife's weakness that led to this firing.

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From what I read, it was the wife's weakness that led to this firing.

Yes, her jealousy and insecurity...if you can't trust your husband around a co-worker, then can you trust him in the grocery store, the bar, the gas station? there are attractive women everwhere and he will meet some of them and interact with them. He needs to learn control and so does his wife.

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He needs to learn control and so does his wife.

The perfect World that all talk about , but can not manage to live. I like the Scorpions reply : " I cant help it , it's in my Nature " ! :rolleyes:

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