This week filed a lawsuit accusing The Home Depot of discriminatory mistreatment.
According to NBC News:
The lawsuit claims that he and the two other plaintiffs — Eric Mora and Manuel Hernandez, who regularly provide construction services for the actor — went to The Home Depot to purchase items for an ongoing project at the actor’s home.
The cashier allegedly took 20 minutes to scan the items, Gibson said he was recognized and approached by shoppers. The actor decided to wait in his car to prevent a disturbance. Before leaving the store, Gibson said he told the cashier that Mora and Hernandez would complete the transaction. However, the two men were allegedly denied their items, prompting Gibson to return to the store and provide identification to complete the purchase. The lawsuit also claims that the manager refused to speak to him despite Gibson’s request to speak to them.
The lawsuit says, “The actions of the cashier and manager were discriminatory based on race and origin,” “There is no other plausible explanation for the mistreatment of Plaintiffs. The transaction was refused, despite Gibson’s repeated authorizations, because of Plaintiffs’ skin color and, in the case of Mora and Hernandez, also because of their national origin.”
The lawsuit states the “humiliating and demeaning” interaction is “a clear and deplorable instance of discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling.”
The Home Depot has refused to hold itself accountable for the experience and instead “doubled down, lawyered-up.” The lawsuit states.
Gibson, Mora and Hernandez are seeking over $1 million in damages due to the company’s negligence in “hiring, screening, training, supervising,” and retaining the manager and cashier involved in the incident.
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