Tyrese Gibson accuses Home Depot of racial profiling and discrimination in $1 million lawsuit related to February incident at West Hills, California location
Tyrese Gibson alleges he was subjected to racial discrimination and profiling during a Feb. 11 visit to the Home Depot location in West Hills, California in a $1 million lawsuit.
The Fast & Furious actor, 44, filed legal documents in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday alleging that his and two construction workers who worked for him had their civil rights violated in an incident at the store.
The two workers Gibson had working for him, Eric Mora and Manual Hernandez, are also named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Fox11 reported, citing court documents.
The Watts, Los Angeles resident also alleges that the company violated California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act; and had been negligent in hiring, supervising and retaining employees in the lawsuit, in which he is also seeking damages.
Gibson in the legal filing that the $1 million was for compensatory damages, based on how much he estimates he’s spent over the years in the construction industry.
The latest: Tyrese Gibson, 44, alleges he was subjected to racial discrimination and profiling during a February visit to the Home Depot location in West Hills, California in a $1 million lawsuit. Pictured in April in Las Vegas
Gibson’s lawyers said the artist “experienced first-hand, outrageous discriminatory assault and racial profiling of consumers at the Home Depot store in West Hills.”
It continued, “The company needs to understand that there are implications for consumer discriminatory assault and racial profiling.”
Gibson’s legal team said he and prosecutors “remain determined to do their part to advance civil rights and end the despicable practice of discriminatory assault and racial profiling of consumers at the Home Depot, and by extension in all stores.’
In the suit, Gibson said he didn’t want to attract attention and went to his vehicle and had his two workers pay for the purchase with his credit card.
He said the cashier refused to go through with the transaction and gave “no reasonable explanation other than repeating store policies and (requiring) to see some form of identification.”
Gibson said the transaction eventually came about after an argument with the cashier and the manager wouldn’t talk to him.
He said in court documents that “there is no plausible explanation for the mistreatment of plaintiffs” other than racial discrimination.
In the lawsuit, Gibson’s lawyers said the employees involved in the incident deliberately interfered with and refused to process the transaction based on their unfounded suspicion of Gibson, Mora and Hernandez because of their skin color, and in the case of Mora and Hernandez, their national origins.’
A video of the altercation was posted to YouTube showing Gibson in a tense discussion with staffers at the home improvement store.
The Fast & Furious actor was visibly annoyed during the Feb. 11 incident at the retailer
Gibson also alleges that the company violated California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act; and had been negligent in hiring, supervising and retaining employees in the lawsuit
Gibson told a woman in the clip: ‘You’re a racist – and that’s the truth’
A video of the altercation was posted to YouTube showing Gibson in a tense discussion with staffers at the home improvement store.
“You’re a racist — and that’s the truth,” Gibson told a woman in the clip. “And you’ve got that racist energy about you because you’re not even willing to apologize, fix it, and point out the inconsistencies of … what the policy is.”
In the clip, Gibson pointed to his longtime patronage of the store spanning a decade.
Gibson’s team said in legal documents reviewed by People that Home Depot had “refused to take any responsibility” for the incident, and instead “they” doubled down, hired a lawyer, and treated Gibson, Mora, and Hernandez and what happened to them as not worth taking into account to keep up – instead they concluded that they are the problem.’
A Home Depot representative told People in a statement, “Diversity and respect for all people are at the core of who we are, and we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.
“We value Mr. Gibson as a customer, and in the months since this happened, we have contacted him and his lawyers several times to try and resolve his concerns. We will continue to do that.’