What You Have to Know
- Former Chief Advertising and marketing Officer Mary Kate Gulick sued the agency, saying it fired her after she complained about its dealing with of a sexual assault report.
- Carson group says it did not act with malice or indifference to Gulick’s rights.
- The agency says that Microsoft Groups messages from now-CEO Burt White included within the lawsuit are written paperwork that talk for themselves.
Carson Group responded Thursday to a lawsuit by former Chief Advertising and marketing Officer Mary Kate Gulick, defending itself in opposition to allegations that the agency fired her after she complained about its “poisonous” tradition and dealing with of an alleged sexual assault of a convention attendee by an worker.
The agency denied that it unlawfully discriminated and retaliated in opposition to Gulick and wrongly fired her in violation of assorted federal and state legal guidelines. However it additionally admitted to sure details outlined in Gulick’s lawsuit, whereas disputing most of the key allegations made within the case.
Amongst particular factors, Carson denied that its executives subjected Gulick to demeaning feedback about her incapacity to “recover from” a Carson worker’s alleged sexual assault of an attendee at a 2022 convention, and that it fired her as a result of she didn’t appear completely happy or to be “having enjoyable.”
Carson additionally denied that the previous CMO’s intercourse was a motivating consider her firing and that she was subjected to discrimination and escalating harassment.
As well as, the agency denied Gulick’s contentions that she has suffered damages, together with psychological and emotional misery, worry, anguish, humiliation, embarrassment, misplaced enjoyment of life and misplaced earnings because of its actions — and that she was fired for her incapacity.
Carson contends it’s not liable for damages as a result of it didn’t act with malice, intent, willfulness or reckless indifference to Gulick’s rights, and since its alleged conduct “was not outrageous,” its response says. The agency requested the decide to dismiss the criticism.
See: Timeline of the Carson Group Lawsuit
“We weren’t stunned by Carson Group’s reply,” Omaha legal professional Tom Freeman, who represents Gulick within the case, instructed ThinkAdvisor by e mail. “Mary Kate has spent her profession advocating for girls in finance. We really feel honored to struggle alongside her on this lawsuit in opposition to Carson Group. As that is pending litigation, we really feel additional remark could be inappropriate right now.”
What follows are summaries of some key points and occasions tied to the reported sexual assault, in addition to to Gulick’s profession on the agency, which Carson Group discusses in its reply to the criticism.
The Alleged Sexual Assault
In late 2022, when Gulick represented Carson Group at an business convention, which seems to be Carson Excell, she alleges that an worker of Carson Group sexually assaulted an attendee.
Carson Group admits in its response that “an attendee on the convention alleged unwelcome/non-consensual sexual conduct with a Carson non-managerial worker (who denied the accusation).”
The agency additionally says that Gulick, who had a management position in organizing the convention, “was initially made conscious” of the allegations by a Carson government.
Later, Gulick referred to as Kelsey Ruwe, Carson Group’s then-chief of employees and human assets chief, to tell her of the alleged sexual assault. Every week after the convention, Gulick was instructed that an investigation “was ongoing and that it could be dealt with in step with [the firm’s] written insurance policies,” Carson Group’s response states.
In early November 2022, Gulick asserts that she met with Ruwe, who instructed her “she disagreed with the choice Carson Group had made to not fireplace the alleged assailant, however as the choice had been made by Ron Carson himself, she needed to help it.”