A senior employee at a major telecommunications company claims he faced discrimination based on age and sex, retaliation for reporting workplace concerns, and violations of his rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act. The allegations are outlined in a federal complaint filed by Peter D. McLinn against Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on April 15, 2026.
According to court documents, McLinn is a 53-year-old white male who has worked at Comcast for approximately 26 years in various analytical and management roles. He reports that throughout his career he received consistently strong performance reviews from supervisors. In August 2024, McLinn filed formal internal complaints against Michael Kauffman for age discrimination—citing an incident where Kauffman compared one of his questions to outdated technology—and against Christine Hodges for civil rights violations after she allegedly directed hiring based on sex.
The complaint states that although Comcast’s investigation found Kauffman’s conduct inappropriate, Kauffman was later promoted rather than disciplined. Within seven days of McLinn’s complaint being recognized by Human Resources (HR), his supervisor informed him that his year-end review rating had been predetermined as “meets expectations,” months before evaluations were due. This was allegedly done without reviewing McLinn’s goals or performance.
In December 2024, all employees in McLinn’s division were required to re-apply for their positions. Hodges sat on the interview panel evaluating McLinn despite being the subject of his prior complaint. Despite positive feedback about his interview performance, McLinn was passed over for a managerial role in favor of a younger former subordinate. Colleagues reportedly observed favoritism during this process.
After filing an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charge on February 23, 2025 (Charge No. 410-2025-02972), McLinn alleges that retaliatory actions escalated. He claims he lost his fully remote work arrangement after transferring teams because management could not guarantee him long-term employment security. Later restructuring placed him under managers who were aware of his protected activity; these managers allegedly imposed unreasonable workloads with no written standards or support while excluding him from decision-making processes.
McLinn further asserts that when he took FMLA leave due to stress-related health symptoms documented by his physician as caused by a hostile work environment, Comcast locked his network account without notice and began dismantling his team during his absence. Employee Relations staff acknowledged avoiding written records of investigations “because it’s discoverable,” according to the filing.
The legal arguments presented include claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (for employment discrimination and retaliation), the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (race discrimination), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The plaintiff outlines specific incidents supporting each claim: pretextual justifications for adverse employment actions; inconsistent application of company policies regarding performance ratings; compensation disparities between comparators; removal from leadership meetings; surveillance; exclusion from team communications; intimidation toward potential witnesses; and ongoing monitoring during protected leave periods.
McLinn seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, back pay, front pay, liquidated damages, pre-judgment and post-judgment interest, injunctive relief including reassignment out of the current management chain or restoration to previous working conditions, declaratory relief confirming violations occurred, costs associated with litigation, as well as preservation of evidence related to his claims.
The case is identified as Case No. 1:26-cv-02064-SCJ-JSA. Attorneys’ names are not listed in the provided document text.
Source: 126cv2064_Peter_D_Mclinn_v_Comcast_Cable_Complaint_Northern_District_Of_Georgia.pdf
