Tyrese Gibson has sued the U.S. shopping chain Home Depot for alleged racial profiling.
“The Fast & Furious” star and two other plaintiffs are taking Home Depot to court after allegedly being “purposefully interfered with” by store employees while attempting to make a payment on February 11.
The 44-year-old and two other men, described as associates of the actor who “regularly provide construction services to Gibson,” filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming that they had “experienced outrageous discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling” during a visit to the West Hills, California store.
The actor and his associates, Eric Mora and Manuel Hernandez, are suing the home improvement company for over $1 million in damages.
The lawsuit states that this will reflect the amount of money that Gibson has spent in Home Depot stores over the years, in addition to punitive damages and “a declaratory judgment declaring that” the store’s actions violated California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, which provides protection from discrimination by all business establishments in California.
According to the lawsuit, when the three men visited the store, Gibson decided to wait in the car while the other two men completed the transaction because fans had begun to notice him in the shop.
The cashier allegedly told Gibson that he would allow the two men to use his credit card to purchase the items. However, the lawsuit alleges “the cashier refused to complete the purchase transaction” even after the actor returned to the store.
Responding to the legal action in a statement, representatives for Home Depot 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.”
