Carson Group Lawsuit: Gulick Dismissal and Bethune Age Claim

Carson Group, the Omaha-based wealth management firm, has been the subject of two notable employment lawsuits. The most prominent Carson Group lawsuit, brought by former chief marketing officer Mary Kate Gulick over the firm’s handling of a sexual assault report, was dismissed with prejudice in December 2025 after she acknowledged altering medical records submitted as evidence. A separate age discrimination case filed by an employee at a firm Carson acquired was filed and terminated in early 2026.

What Mary Kate Gulick Alleged

Gulick served as Carson Group’s chief marketing officer until June 2023. In March 2024, she sued in Douglas County District Court in Nebraska; the case was removed to federal court in Omaha the next month as Gulick v. Carson Group Holdings, LLC, case number 8:24-cv-00141.¹ Her complaint alleged sex discrimination, disability discrimination, and retaliation under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Nebraska Fair Employment Practice Act.²

The dispute traced back to a late-2022 industry conference, where a Carson employee allegedly sexually assaulted an attendee. Gulick said she learned of the assault from another executive and was assured by then-President Teri Shepherd that it “would be handled appropriately.” According to the complaint, Carson’s head of human resources wanted to fire the accused employee, but then-CEO and founder Ron Carson decided to keep him on staff, and the employee was later allowed to travel to another company conference.³

Gulick alleged that general counsel Kevin Miller and HR leader Kelsey Ruwe reprimanded her for discussing the incident and raising safety concerns about female employees.² She said the firm’s inaction left her psychologically “broken like a twig” and that she developed depression and PTSD. On June 6, 2023, Burt White, then managing partner and chief strategy officer, told Gulick she was being terminated. After she described her distress in that conversation, White moved her departure date up to the following day, according to the complaint.³

The suit portrayed White in a mixed light. Internal messages cited in the complaint showed that shortly after the 2022 assault allegation, White messaged Gulick on Microsoft Teams criticizing what he called the firm’s “founder based culture,” writing that leadership had “driven the car” into a “metaphorical ditch” and that he did “not want to be associated with so much [Carson Group] does and stands for.” In February 2023, White and Shepherd met with Gulick to discuss her mental health and the toll the firm’s response had taken on her. Four months later, White was the one who fired her.²

Carson Group denied the allegations throughout the litigation and said it would “vigorously defend” itself.⁴

How the Case Collapsed

The litigation shifted sharply in mid-2025. In July, Carson Group filed a motion for sanctions, alleging that Gulick had “intentionally altered numerous medical records” submitted as evidence. The firm said it discovered the alterations during discovery by comparing the records Gulick provided against originals obtained directly from her medical providers, revealing “significant differences.”⁵ Carson alleged that Gulick had asked at least three providers to change the content of her records to support her claim that the firm’s handling of the assault worsened her health.⁶

Gulick’s original counsel withdrew after the allegations surfaced. She then acknowledged that she had altered the records before producing them in the lawsuit, according to Carson Group.⁷ In November 2025, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline M. DeLuca stayed all proceedings except those tied to Carson’s sanctions motion and set an evidentiary hearing for January 8, 2026.⁶

The hearing never happened. On December 26, 2025, the parties jointly dismissed the case with prejudice. Gulick received no financial payment and agreed to repay Carson Group for a portion of its legal costs.⁸ Under the stipulation filed with the court, each side otherwise bore its own attorneys’ fees.⁷

The Bethune Age Discrimination Suit

A second employment case surfaced in 2026. Andrea Bethune, a 58-year-old administrative employee at Abbs Retirement Planning Advisors in Saginaw, Michigan, filed an age discrimination lawsuit against Carson Group. Carson had acquired Abbs in January 2025. Bethune alleged that after the acquisition, the company forced her out so it could staff the office with younger female employees under the age of 40.⁹

According to the complaint, Bethune was required to train her replacement, Justine Reinhardt, who was roughly 20 years younger and allegedly lacked the experience the role demanded. Bethune’s title was changed to “client experience advocate” in November 2025 before her position was eliminated in January 2026.⁹ Carson removed the case from Michigan state court to federal court, where it was docketed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan as case number 2:26-cv-10910 in March 2026. Carson filed an answer with affirmative defenses on March 25, 2026. The docket shows the case was terminated as of April 7, 2026, though the terms of that resolution have not been publicly reported.¹⁰

The Leadership Backdrop

Both cases unfolded during a leadership transition at Carson Group. Ron Carson, who founded the firm in 1983 and remained its majority owner, stepped down as CEO on April 9, 2024, moving to the role of chairman. Burt White, a former managing director and chief investment officer at LPL Financial who had joined Carson in 2022, took over as chief executive.¹¹ The transition came just weeks after Gulick filed suit and named Ron Carson as the executive who declined to fire the accused employee, though the company described the change as a planned succession.¹²

1
CourtListener. Gulick v. Carson Group Holdings, LLC
2
ThinkAdvisor. Timeline: Carson Group Lawsuit Over Handling of Sexual Assault
3
Wealth Management. Lawsuit: Ex-CMO Charges Carson Group With Turning Blind Eye to Sexual Assault
4
RIABiz. Burt White Is Busy Re-Staffing Carson Wealth
5
ThinkAdvisor. Carson Group Ex-CMO’s Bias Suit on Hold After Allegations She Altered Evidence
6
Wealth Management. Judge Pauses Former CMO’s Carson Group Lawsuit Amidst Fabricated Evidence Allegations
7
Financial Planning. Former Carson Group Marketing Executive Drops Lawsuit
8
InvestmentNews. Carson Group Lawsuit Ends With Dismissal as Ex-CMO Drops Case Without Settlement
9
Financial Planning. After Training Her Replacement, Ex-Carson Group Employee Files Age Bias Suit
10
PACER Monitor. Bethune v. Carson Group Holdings, LLC
11
Financial Planning. Ron Carson Stepping Down as CEO of Carson Group
12
PR Newswire. Founder Ron Carson Announces New Role as Chairman, Appoints Burt White as Carson Group’s Next CEO