A Brooklyn woman claims she was illegally fired for taking a piece of cake from an abusive ex-boyfriend at the “frat house” ad agency where they both worked.
Nicole Brunner, 31, is suing the Madwell agency — which counts Vita-Coco coconut water among its clients — for unspecified damages over what she calls the “gross disparate treatment” dished out to her and her former flame.
Brunner alleges her ex — identified in court papers as Nicholas Santaniello — tossed a brick though her bedroom window after she broke up with him last year. Fortunately for Brunner, she was out of town.
“He could have killed me. It landed on my pillow,” Brunner told The Post.
When Brunner told Madwell owners Chris Sojka and David Eisenman what happened a day after the March 5, 2016, incident, they were “very condescending,” her Manhattan federal suit says.
Sojka even suggested that Santaniello “deserved a second chance,” and Santaniello returned to work after a month away, court papers say.
Brunner, however, complained to the cops, and Santaniello copped a disorderly- conduct plea, was ordered to pay for the damages to Brunner’s room and slapped with a two-year restraining order.
Santaniello’s mom sent him a cake at Madwell for his Oct. 5 birthday, and “he left it in the fridge for a few days,” court papers say.
On Oct. 7, Brunner admittedly “decided to take a piece” of the cake and joked to her assistant, “Don’t tell anyone.”
“Given all that had taken place prior to this, Ms. Brunner didn’t think taking a piece of cake could amount to a thing, but it did. [Santaniello] threw a hissy fit on the intranet,” the suit says.
Santaniello also “cornered Nicole in the backyard” of Madwell’s Williamsburg building, for which he was fired on Oct. 11, court papers say.
That same day, the company allegedly stopped paying for Brunner’s twice-weekly therapy sessions, “because it knew at that point they were going to fire [Brunner] as well,” said her lawyer, Greg Antollino.
“Approximately a month later, Ms. Brunner was fired.”
Madwell says it fired Brunner for throwing the cake slice in the trash, which she admits she did out of anger for the disparate treatment. Madwell also claimed she lied about the cake and threatened a receptionist who saw her toss the slice, which she denies.
“We took all the necessary steps to protect her safety and well-being,” Madwell said in a statement. “Our ultimate decision to terminate her employment was in no way born of discriminatory or retaliatory motivations.”
Santaniello didn’t return a request for comment.