Tyrese Gibson suing Home Depot after alleged racial profiling incident

The lawsuit alleges negligent hiring, supervision, and retention during the alleged incident that occurred in February of this year.

Tyrese Gibson is suing Home Depot. Per recent reports, the actor has filed a suit against the company for civil rights violations after an incident in February in which the actor alleges he was the victim of racial profiling.

According to Fox 11 Los Angeles, Gibson and two associates, Eric Mora and Manual Hernandez, are plaintiffs in the suit, which alleges negligent hiring, supervision and retention in addition to racial profiling. They reportedly are seeking $1 million in compensatory damages, which is the amount the suit claims “Gibson has spent over time at Home Depot.” Gibson is also seeking punitive damages.

BET Awards Media House - Day 2
Tyrese Gibson addresses an audience during June’s BET Awards Media House at Quixote Studios in West Hollywood, California. The actor is suing Home Depot, alleging racial profiling. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for BET)

Per the reports, Gibson went to the Victory Boulevard Home Depot on Feb. 11 alongside construction workers. To not cause a distraction, he left the items and his credit card with the workers so they could pay and he went to the car. According to the suit, Gibson returned to the store after the cashier refused to complete the transaction.

The suit details that Gibson, “one of the most recognizable Black actors and musicians in the United States, and his associates … experienced outrageous discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling first-hand inside the Home Depot retail store in West Hills.”

The suit alleges that the cashier simply repeated store policy and gave no explanation as to why the transaction could not be completed while demanding to see identification.

The suit states, “there is no other plausible explanation for the mistreatment of plaintiffs.”

TheGrio has reached out to Home Depot for comment.

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