Tyrese Gibson Sues Home Depot for $1 Million after ‘Racial Profiling,’ ‘Humiliating and Demeaning’ Experience

Tyrese Gibson is not tolerating any racism.

Tyrese Gibson and two of his friends, Manuel Hernandez and Eric Mora, are suing The Home Depot for $1 million over what they describe as a case of racial profiling that happened in a shop in the Los Angeles region. 

The claimed event allegedly occurred on February 11 in the evening. According to their lawsuit, the group was "subjected to outrageous discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling." Gibson calculates that he has spent at least $1 million at different Home Depot locations throughout the years.

Gibson and his two companions are alleged to have been delayed at a Home Depot checkout counter because of a "purported glitch in the system." 

According to the trio's complaint, "the glitch" kept them from checking out for about 20 minutes before a crowd began to gather at the checkout counter as a result of Gibson, the franchise's "Fast and Furious" star. 

Mora and Hernandez were waiting to finalise the transaction when he made the decision to leave the store and wait in his car.

Gibson claimed that he told the Home Depot clerk about this strategy. According to the lawsuit, the cashier "acknowledged Gibson and said he understood," and Gibson then inquired as to whether the transaction still required any additional information from the cashier. 

Gibson was informed that he might leave by the cashier. However, when Gibson's two friends tried to pay with his credit card, the cashier allegedly "refused to complete the purchase transaction."

"The cashier gave no reasonable explanation other than repeating ‘store policy’ and demanded to see a form of identification," the complaint says. “The manager refused to speak with Gibson in person. It was only after significant heated discussion with the cashier that Gibson was finally able to complete the transaction.”

The complaint also states, "The actions of the cashier and manager were discriminatory based on race and origin. There is no other plausible explanation for the mistreatment of Plaintiffs. The transaction was refused, despite Gibson’s repeated authorizations, because of Plaintiffs’ skin colour and, in the case of Mora and Hernandez, also because of their national origin."

Adding, "This is a clear and deplorable instance of discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling. The treatment of Gibson, Mora and Hernandez by The Home Depot was humiliating and demeaning."

A Home Depot spokesperson said, "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," as per Variety.

"The Home Depot has refused to take any responsibility for discriminating against Gibson, Mora and Hernandez, or to acknowledge the pain, humiliation and anguish caused by the company," the lawsuit fires back. 

"Instead, The Home Depot 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."