Actor Tyrese Gibson and two others filed a $1 million lawsuit against The Home Depot on August 9, alleging racial profiling during a February visit. The Home Depot denies discrimination and seeks resolution.
Tyrese Gibson Sues Home Depot For $1m After Alleged ‘Racial Profiling’
Tyrese Gibson is suing The Home Depot for $1 million after claiming that there was "racial profiling" during a visit to the store.
On Wednesday, August 9, the Fast & Furious actor and two other plaintiffs, Manuel Hernandez and Eric Mora, filed a complaint in Los Angeles against the defendant.
The lawsuit said that when the three visited the West Hills location in California back in February of this year, they "experienced outrageous discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling."
The actor is currently suing for more than $1 million in compensation, along with Mora and Hernandez who 'regularly perform construction services to Gibson'.
Additionally, they are requesting "a declaratory judgment" stating that The Home Depot's claimed activities on February 11th, this year, violated the Unruh Civil Rights Act of the state.
The lawsuit claims that it all began when Gibson let his two associates use his credit card to pay for the items while he waited in his car.
But the lawsuit claims that the cashier ‘refused to complete the purchase transaction,’ adding: "The cashier gave no reasonable explanation other than repeating 'store policy' and demanded to see a form of identification.”
"The manager refused to speak with Gibson in person. It was only after a significant heated discussion with the cashier that Gibson was finally able to complete the transaction."
It continued to state that the refusal was made "on purpose" by personnel of The Home Depot because of the group's "skin color."
"[They] purposely interfered with and refused to process the transaction based on their groundless suspicion of Gibson, Mora, and Hernandez arising from their skin color, and in the case of Mora and Hernandez, their national origin," it says.
The Home Depot 'has refused to assume any responsibility', according to the lawsuit, it has also been claimed.
It alleged that the company 'doubled down, lawyered up, and treated Gibson, Mora, and Hernandez and what happened to them as not worthy of any due consideration - instead inferring that they are the problem'.
To "hold it accountable," the group is now "taking a stand" against the corporation.
"The company needs to understand that there are consequences for discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling," the suit states.
To respond to the case, a Home Depot representative issued a statement.
It reads: "Diversity and respect for all people are core to who we are, and we do not tolerate discrimination in any form.”
"We value Mr. Gibson as a customer, and in the months since this happened, we’ve reached out to him and his attorneys several times to try to resolve his concerns.”
"We will continue to do so," it concluded.
In an era where social justice and civil rights are at the forefront of public discourse, the Tyrese Gibson lawsuit against Home Depot resonates as a powerful assertion of individual rights and a demand for accountability. As the case progresses, it will continue to shed light on the complex intersections of race, corporate responsibility, and the legal mechanisms in place to address discrimination.
