Comcast Manager Allegedly Smashed Pies in Employees’ Faces to Punish Low Sales

A Comcast retail store in Plainville, Connecticut, allegedly enforced a management policy that required tying the lowest-performing salesperson to a back-office chair and smashing a cream pie in their face, according to a lawsuit filed by a former employee. The complaint states that the store manager designed the ritual to drive sales and customer survey metrics, filming the incidents and requiring staff participation.

David Figueroa filed the lawsuit against Comcast’s cable division, stating he was hired as a retail sales consultant on February 2, 2026, and worked under store manager Sully Fuentes Peterson. According to court filings, the complaint outlines a mandatory workplace environment where underperformance triggered physical humiliation rather than standard professional coaching or disciplinary tracking.

The allegations detail an unorthodox approach to regional performance management within a major corporate retail setting. Legal representatives for the plaintiff argue that management crossed professional boundaries by orchestrating public rituals meant to penalize workers who missed monthly sales quotas or customer satisfaction benchmarks.

Lawsuit Details Alleged Back-Office Punishments

According to court documents, the Plainville store operated under a specific performance penalty system established by Peterson. The complaint asserts that the retail location “had a policy that the highest-ranked Retail Sales Consultant for the prior month was instructed by his or her supervisor—Ms. Peterson, the Comcast Store manager—to tie the lowest-ranked sales consultant for the prior month to a chair in the back office and thereafter assault that person by violently smashing a cream pie in their face.”

Figueroa’s legal filing claims that the store manager actively enforced participation among all staff members. The lawsuit states that Peterson not only designed and implemented the pie-in-the-face ritual to target employees who lagged behind in monthly sales goals and positive customer survey responses, but she also recorded the actions on video and instructed other workers to film the events as well.

Corporate Policy and Workplace Culture Scrutiny

The involvement of video recording equipment further complicates the employer’s defense, as digital evidence of workplace humiliation can substantiate claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Next Steps in the Legal Proceedings

As the case proceeds through the court system, legal teams for both sides will review evidence, deposition transcripts, and digital files, including the videos allegedly recorded during the back-office incidents.

Readers and industry professionals interested in tracking the outcome of this case can review official court dockets as filings become publicly available through the Connecticut judicial system. Share your thoughts on this case in the comments below.