Carson Group accused its former chief marketing officer of concocting “fabricated evidence” in her ongoing suit against her former employer, in which she claimed that the firm’s handling of a sexual assault accusation against a Carson employee left her psychologically scarred.
Mary Kate Gulick originally filed her suit against the Nebraska-based Carson Group in April 2024, arguing the firm’s botched handling of the assault allegations against a Carson employee created an untenable situation for Gulick.
But in a motion to stay the suit (and potentially squash it altogether) filed last Friday, Carson Group alleged that Gulick asked several medical doctors to amend documentation to show that the situation at Carson Group exacerbated her health issues.
“There is clear and convincing evidence that (Gulick) has manufactured evidence ot support her claims, used the manufactured documents to further her claims, and engaged in willful actions to hide her conduct and deceive (Carson Group) and ultimately the court,” the motion read.
However, in a statement to WealthManagement.com, Tom Freeman, an attorney for Gulick, said the response to Carson Group’s allegations is “forthcoming” in her filing.
“We strongly dispute the allegations made by Carson Group in their recent Motion,” Freeman said. “We are very proud to represent Mary Kate, and she will not be silenced.”
According to Gulick’s original complaint, as CMO, she helped plan and conduct an industry conference in late 2022 where a Carson Group employee allegedly sexually assaulted an attendee. The firm asked Gulick to provide emotional support to the victim, with then-Carson Group President allegedly telling Gulick the accusation “would be handled appropriately.”
But Gulick claimed this didn’t happen, and then-CEO Ron Carson allegedly decided to keep the employee on staff (according to Carson, the employee in question is no longer with the firm). Additionally, then-Chief Strategy Officer (and current CEO) Burt White allegedly revealed to Gulick that Carson Group “needs a sharp right turn, and frankly, this company is driven horribly.”
Gulick claimed she suffered mentally from the aftershocks of dealing with the assault complaint before White allegedly fired her in June 2023. According to Gulick, White told her she oscillated between “greatness and, I don’t know, unhappiness.”
Since April 2024, the lawsuit has proceeded apace in Nebraska federal court in discovery, in which parties request evidence from the opposition to build their own case. As part of the discovery, Carson wanted copies of Gulick’s “medical records and her communications with medical providers regarding (Carson Group) and the allegations, injuries and damages” she spells out in the complaint.
However, Carson claims in the latest motion that Gulick contacted several medical providers before filing the suit to ask them to “alter the content” of her medical records so that they “do not contradict but instead, falsely align” with the allegations in her lawsuit.
Carson claims that Gulick supplied the firm with medical records from her providers during the discovery process, but allegedly did not include the unaltered records without disclosing that there were changes.
The firm also claimed that an expert witness was brought on by Gulick, but only “relied on the forged records to opine that (Gulick) had suffered emotional distress” because of her experience at Carson. The firm asked the court to pause the discovery proceedings and consider dismissing the case altogether, arguing there was precedent.
“(Gulick) should not be allowed to continue to pursue a lawsuit which, at its inception, was based on an orchestrated attempt to create fraudulent evidence designed to falsely amplify her claims and extort a significant settlement from (Carson Group) or jury award,” the motion read.
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