RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Brazilian metalworker Andrea Eloisa da Silva is no "dumb blonde."
After listening to her boss repeatedly call her just that in front of colleagues, the 32-year-old Silva sued him and won $1,300 in moral damages plus recognition that she was unduly fired — which paves the way for more compensation.
"It is an unprecedented decision on moral damages for blondes," Alexandre Santoro, a spokesman for the regional labor court that ruled in Silva's favor, said Tuesday.
"The judge determined that the term 'dumb blonde' violated the dignity of the employee," he said.
The owner of Usinagem RPM metal factory in Belo Horizonte, 280 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro, can appeal the ruling.
As in the English-peaking world, there are an unending number of jokes about "louras burras" or dumb blondes in Brazil.