Tyrese Sues Home Depot for $1M Over Racial Profiling of Him and Two Associates

Tyrese is opening a lawsuit with Home Depot. The singer and actor, along with two of his associates who “regularly provide construction services to Gibson,” are suing the home improvement giant for discrimination and racial profiling.

According to PEOPLE, Gibson, Eric Mora, and Manuel Hernandez are seeking over $1 million in damages, additional punitive damages, and “a declaratory judgment declaring that” Home Depot acted in violation of California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act. The $1 million total reflects the amount of time Gibson has spent with Home Depot in his lifetime.

The event date at the center of the suit was Feb. 11. Tyrese allowed the two men to use his car as he waited outside to avoid fanfare. Before exiting the store, Tyrese was said to give verbal permission to use the card, but the cashier refused, leading to Tyrese returning inside, and the cashier still refused.

The lawsuit reads:

“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 also states the employees hindered the transaction due to their skin color and national origin. Tyrese captured part of the event on YouTube.

In a statement, Home Depot wrote: “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.