Tyrese Files $1M Lawsuit Against The Home Depot For Racial Profiling

Performing on world stages and appearing in dozens of movies still doesn’t exempt you from being racially profiled. Despite the many times singer/actor Tyrese has been on movie screens, he recently found himself the victim of racial profiling as a Black shopper at The Home Depot. Because of this, the “Lately” singer has filed a lawsuit against the home improvement store.

According to Fox Business, Tyrese Gibson filed a $1 million lawsuit against the store at a Los Angeles court on August 9. The singing actor cited a violation of the Unruh Civil Rights Act (California Civil Code Section 51) as well as negligent hiring supervision and/or retention.

The Unruh Civil Rights Act provides protection from discrimination by all business establishments in California, including housing and public accommodations, due to age, ancestry, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.

The court docs stated that Tyrese and his associates Eric Mora and Manuel Hernandez experienced “outrageous discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling” in February while the three of them were at the store in West Hills, California.

In a written statement to Fox News Digital, Tyrese said, “Craftsmen Eric Mora and Manuel Hernandez are an integral part of my team and have made significant contributions to my visions for over a decade. Together, we ardently uphold our commitments to civil rights, promoting empathy, and understanding.”

He continued, “Standing united against organizations like The Home Depot, we envision a world free from discriminatory practices and consumer racial profiling. 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.”

Tyrese said he had been a regular customer at The Home Depot over the years and spent “no less than One Million Dollars” worth of materials from the company.

The retail store did respond to the accusations levied against it.

“Diversity and respect for all people are core to who we are, and we do not tolerate discrimination in any form,” a Home Depot representative 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.”

The lawsuit also stated that although Tyrese tried to settle the dispute directly with the retailer, it refused to acknowledge the discrimination against the Fast & Furious actor and instead placed the blame on Tyrese and his associates.