Advantage Sales and Marketing Lawsuit
Mark Barbuto’s Lawsuit Against Advantage Sales and Marketing LLC
The lawsuit started in September of 2021, when Cristina Barbuto sued her former employer, Advantage Sales and Marketing – asmnet, alleging that the company failed to appropriately address sexual harassment issues. As you may expect from a company that markets itself under the names of “Work At Home Dad,” “Office Administration,” and “Work At Home Mom,” there are a lot of issues with this lawsuit. Despite the fact that there is a sexual harassment lawsuit against Advantage Sales and Marketing-asmnet, the company has yet to file their answer and court documents. The case is currently underway in the courts.
The crux of the lawsuit revolves around a claim of sexual harassment.
According to Barbuto’s lawsuit, she was subjected to gender discrimination by her supervisor, John J. Deutsch, while at work. At first, Barbuto thought that the actions were directed at her because she is a woman. She claims that during their monthly lunch break, Deutsch repeatedly propositioned her, asking if she would like to go out for dinner on six days later, at which point she politely declined.
According to Barbuto’s attorney, the company’s human resources department told her there was nothing wrong with the lunch invitation and that it was in fact directed toward equal employment opportunity.
Barbuto was upset by this response. During her six days away from work, Barbuto was unable to contact her supervisor. This is when her attorney contacted the better business bureau. They informed her that there was nothing to worry about, since the company had settled with the Better Business Bureau within four days of her complaint.
In May of this year, however, the company did settle with the better business bureau. Barbuto is owed money for financial damages, and her attorney is currently working on a possible class-action suit involving the conduct of her former superior, Mark Barbuto. Two years before this incident, Barbuto reportedly quited his position to pursue a marketing position at Advantage, citing poor sales performance as the reason. According to Barbuto’s attorney, this move was meant to allow Barbuto to pursue better-paying positions at other companies. Barbuto did not receive any further promotions at advantage after he quit.
Mark Barbuto’s attorney tells Business Insider that Barbuto was a marketing assistant for Advantage at the time of the incident.
He says that he is not sure what caused Barbuto to quit, but that it is more likely than he thinks that he would be able to recall if he had been asked about it during questioning by investigators. Investigators are still interviewing employees at Advantage, but they have not yet released names or other information about their inquiry. Mark Barbuto is currently the company’s vice president of sales marketing. His attorney says that the lawsuit is intended to seek compensation for lost wages and suffering endured while unemployed.
Barbuto is currently in the midst of recovering from an injury he suffered when he tripped and fell under a falling tree at work.
Although he was treated for his injuries, he still recently suffered pain in his back and has missed several days of work. He is currently receiving monetary compensation in excess of eight thousand dollars. The case has been assigned to a United States district attorney based out of Los Angeles.
Business Insider spoke with Mark Barbuto’s attorney earlier this week.
Barbuto’s attorney said that the two are in the early stages of discussing a settlement, though no agreements have been reached as of yet. Barbuto is due back in court later this month for another meeting with United States marshals. He has requested a release date of his return, which is now set for 2 days ago.
Mark Barbuto’s Lawsuit Against Advantage Sales and Marketing LLC The lawsuit started in September of 2021, when Cristina Barbuto sued her former employer, Advantage Sales and Marketing – asmnet, alleging that the company failed to appropriately address sexual harassment issues. As you may expect from a company that markets itself under the names of “Work…