Tyrese Gibson, star of the hit Hollywood franchise, “Fast and Furious,” is suing Home Depot for alleged “racial profiling.”
According to the $1 million lawsuit, the actor and two men who “regularly provide construction services to Gibson” — Eric Mora and Manuel Hernandez — went to the retail giant’s Victory Boulevard store in West Hills, California, on February 11 and “experienced outrageous discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling.”
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 claims, according to Fox News 11. “The company needs to understand that there are consequences for discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling.”
As plaintiffs, Gibson, Mora, and Hernandez are “committed to doing their part to advance civil rights and put an end to the despicable practice of discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling at the Home Depot, and, by extension, all retail stores,” the complaint states.
On the day in question, Gibson allegedly went to the car to avoid any “fame” frenzy while the workers went to pay for the items they’d picked out with his credit card.
The cashier refused to complete the transaction, even after speaking to Gibson, who authorized the use of his card from the car on FaceTime.
Gibson ultimately returned to the store to try and resolve the problem, and things went downhill from there, according to the suit, which alleges the cashier “gave no reasonable explanation other than repeating store policy and demanded to see a form of identification.”
“It was only after significant heated discussion with the cashier that Gibson was finally able to complete the transaction,” Gibson’s legal team states, according to the New York Post.
The incident was recorded and uploaded to social media platforms.
In one video, apparently of the FaceTime discussion, Gibson refers to the manager, who refused to give him her last name, as a “Karen.”
@trayc01 #tyrese #homedepot #wow ♬ original sound – Tray
A more complete recording of the exchange appeared on YouTube, during which Gibson can be heard telling the cashier, “So, my problem with what happened, is that I’ve been living three blocks from here for 10 years, and if this is a policy … why are you the first person to stop my team and my ability to come in here when I’ve been coming to this particular Home Depot for 10 years?”
(Video: YouTube)
The Home Depot staffers “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,” according to the lawsuit.
As a result, the trio “suffered shame, humiliation and mental suffering.”
The plaintiffs are seeking punitive damages and $1 million in additional damages — the equivalent to the amount of money Gibson claims he spent at the store over the years.
In a statement to The Post, Home Depot said they “value” Gibson “as a customer.”
“Diversity and respect for all people are core to who we are, and we do not tolerate discrimination in any form,” Home Depot said. “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.”
But according to Gibson and his fellow plaintiffs, the store “has refused to take any responsibility” for the incident and “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.”
On Friday, Gibson’s team released its own statement on Instagram.
“Eric Mora and Manuel Hernandez are an integral part of my team and have made significant contributions to my visions for over a decade,” Gibson wrote. “Together, we ardently uphold our commitments to civil rights, promoting empathy, and understanding.”
“We envision a world free from discriminatory practices and consumer racial profiling,” the actor stated. “Just as I have done for the past 20-plus years, I pledge to continue to utilize my platform to empower the voiceless, fostering a spirit of unity and hope, while illuminating our shared path forward.”
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
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