A lawsuit filed by Carson Group’s former chief marketing officer against the firm has been paused as the judge considers the firm’s allegations that the plaintiff altered medical records to support her claims.
In July, Carson Group asked the federal judge overseeing the case to dismiss Mary Kate Gulick’s lawsuit against the firm, accusing her of fabricating evidence to make it seem that the company’s alleged mishandling of a sexual assault accusation against a Carson employee worsened Gulick’s health.
In an order filed this week, Jacqueline DeLuca, a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Nebraska federal court, where the original suit was filed, partially agreed with Carson. She ruled that a stay on the case was “appropriate” while she heard arguments about Carson’s allegations against Gulick.
“(Carson Group’s) Motion for Sanctions alleges (Gulick) altered medical records and seeks, among other sanctions, dismissal of her case with prejudice,” the order read. “Given the seriousness of the allegations and the sanctions (Carson Group) seeks, staying case progression pending a ruling on (Carson Group’s) motion promotes judicial efficiency.”
Attorneys for Gulick declined to comment, as did a spokesperson for Carson Group, saying the filings made the “Court aware of our serious concerns relating to Ms. Gulick’s conduct” and that they “speak for themselves.”
Gulick originally filed her suit against her former employer in April 2024, arguing the firm’s handling of an assault accusation against a Carson employee by an industry conference attendee left Gulick in an untenable position.
According to the suit, Carson Group asked Gulick to provide support to the victim, and Gulick claimed a firm executive assured her the accusation would be “handled appropriately.”
Gulick claimed that the Carson Group reneged on this claim; then-CEO Ron Carson opted to keep the employee on staff (according to Carson, the unnamed employee no longer works there), and then-Chief Strategy Officer (and current CEO) Burt White allegedly texted Gulick that the company “is driven horribly.” Gulick argued in the suit that she suffered mentally from dealing with the assault complaint before White fired her in June 2023.
During discovery, Carson Group asked for Gulick’s medical records cataloguing “communications with medical providers” about the mental health struggles resulting from her time at the firm.
The firm claims that through the process, it discovered that Gulick asked several medical providers to “alter the content” of her records so they’d align with her accusations. The firm also claimed an expert witness supporting Gulick relied on those records in their testimony.
According to court records, a conference call discussing the pending motion for sanctions against Gulick (the only part of the case currently allowed to proceed) is scheduled for Nov. 10.