Home Depot has claimed Tyrese Gibson is lying about alleged 'racial profiling' in his $1 million lawsuit against the company and said there's video evidence to back it up.
The Fast & Furious star filed a lawsuit in LA against the company last month alongside two other plaintiffs - Eric Mora and Manuel Hernandez.
They alleged that they'd experienced 'outrageous discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling' when visiting the West Hills branch in California back in February of this year.
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The actor, alongside Mora and Hernandez, who 'regularly provide construction services to Gibson', are currently seeking over $1 million in damages.
According to the lawsuit, when a computer glitch caused a delay to Gibson's transaction, he decided to wait in his car while his two associates paid for the goods with his credit card, something he claimed he told the cashier before leaving the store.
The actor said she understood his instructions before he left the store and was told he could wait outside while she finished the transaction.
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However, the cashier reportedly 'refused to complete the purchase transaction', with the lawsuit alleging: "The cashier gave no reasonable explanation other than repeating 'store policy' and demanded to see a form of identification.
"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."
It went on to claim that Home Depot employees 'purposely' refused the request based on the trio's 'skin color'.
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Home Depot has now responded to the lawsuit, pushing back against claims of racial discrimination on the part of its cashiers and disputing Gibson's version of events.
According to new legal documents, obtained by TMZ, the company claims Gibson came to the store and brought a bunch of items to the cash register, where the cashier scanned everything. He then went back to do more shopping, leaving the register for 25 minutes and forcing the cashier to clear out his transaction.
The company also claims surveillance footage shows that Gibson did not speak face-to-face with any of their cashiers prior to leaving the store.
The two sides appear to agree on one thing. When the cashier refused to complete the transaction without Gibson present, he FaceTimed them from his outside the store and authorised her to complete the purchase his associates were trying to make, but she - and her manager - said he would have to come back to the store to show ID.
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Furthermore, Home Depot claims its surveillance footage shows Gibson coming back into the store and getting into a heated discussion, before eventually showing his ID and the cashier completing his transaction.
The actor has since taken to Instagram today (29 September) to share a statement.
He wrote: "Eric Mora, Manuel Hernandez and I are 100% committed to taking a stand against The Home Depot in defense of our own civil rights and the civil rights of all who have been subjected to discriminatory practices and consumer racial profiling.
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"The Home Depot and its team of attorneys seek to deny our claims, gaslighting… Trying to legally bully us and silence our voices as reflected in their most recent court filing. But we will not back down. We will use all of our energy to correct the conduct of the company, in service of the broader goal of a shared future free from discrimination.
"Speaking UP ans [sic] speaking OUT against blatant racism and discrimination is nothing new for me….. I would never ever thing this would happen to me at Home Depot…. 20+ years and this is the f**king thanks we get….."
UNILAD has contacted representatives for Gibson and Home Depot for further comment.
Topics: Fast and Furious, Celebrity
Bec Oakes