Judge Upholds Firing of Prostitute-Seeking Employee
As if there weren’t enough prostitute-themed news stories today . . .
An Iowa judge rejected an employee’s claim that he shouldn’t have been fired for repeatedly requesting a prostitute.
Neil Jorgensen of Kalona, Iowa was employed by the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort. In honor of his one-year anniversary with the company, the casino gave him a gift certificate for a free night’s stay at the hotel.
After dining and drinking at the casino’s restaurant, Jorgensen retired to his hotel room around midnight. He then called the hotel manager and asked for assistance in hiring a prostitute. As Jorgensen explained during his hearing for unemployment benefits, “The advertisement is that it’s just like Las Vegas, so I thought I was in Las Vegas.”
When the hotel manager declined to help him, Jorgensen called a neighboring resort and repeated his request. Eventually, hotel employees were dispatched to Jorgensen’s room to ask him to stop inquiring about prostitutes. When they arrived, Jorgensen answered the door in the nude, according to testimony offered by the casino’s HR director. Jorgensen was terminated the next day.
Jorgensen claimed that his actions didn’t harm the casino’s reputation and that the restaurant was at fault for serving him too much liquor. “I was absolutely plowed,” he said.
The judge wasn’t persuaded and denied benefits.
