A US court has confirmed that a woman who was fired for being too attractive was not unfairly dismissed.

Melinda Nelson took dentist Dr James Knight to court for sex discrimination after she was sacked from her job as his assistant because her sexiness threatened his marriage. The court heard how Knight suggested to Nelson that her lack of a sex life was like "having a Lamborghini in the garage and never driving it", told her that her clothing was tight and "distracting", and advised that if she saw his "pants bulging" she would know that her tops were too revealing.

When Knight's wife discovered the two had been texting each other she demanded that he fire her. In 2010 Knight called a meeting with Nelson (in the presence of a pastor) at which he told her she had become a "detriment" to his family and that they could no longer work together.

Knight couldn't understand what Mrs Knight was complaining about

Nelson lost her case and appealed, but the (all male) Iowan Supreme Court has confirmed that Iowan workers can be fired by their employers for being an "irresistible attraction". The court's ruling that the decision was based on personal relations and not gender has been disputed by Nelson's attorney who said men could now protect themselves from sexual harassment claims "simply by firing women they've been harassing".

Knight has since hired a new female assistant.