Home Depot has FINALLY responded to Tyrese Gibson‘s lawsuit!
If you need a refresher, back in August, the Fast and Furious star took legal action against the home repair giant over allegations their cashiers racially discriminated against him and his partners by interfering with their attempt to make a purchase. But now the store is hitting back — accusing him of LYING!
In a new filing obtained by TMZ on Thursday, HD argued Tyrese came into their store in February of this year and brought several items to the cash register, where the cashier scanned everything up. But then the actor allegedly went back into the store for more shopping, leaving the register for 25 minutes, which forced the cashier to clear out his transaction.
This is different from the 44-year-old’s account. In his complaint, he claimed a computer glitch caused the delay. Because of this so-called glitch, people started to notice him in the store, making him uncomfortable. To get away from prying eyes, the Baby Boy alum went to the parking lot to wait in his car while allowing the rest of his group to oversee the transaction for him. He apparently even ran this through with the cashier, who had his card, and she reportedly understood his instructions before he left the store.
Related: Simple Gun Arrest Leads FBI To Discover A REAL Satanic Pedophile Cult!
But issues arose once he was in his car. He claimed he got on FaceTime with the cashier and authorized her to finish the sale — but she claimed she couldn’t do so without seeing his ID in person. That’s when he came back into the store and started arguing with several employees, and the confrontation went down in a vid he posted to socials. See (below):
But Home Depot has a different story — and they have the receipts to prove it!
According to their surveillance footage, Tyrese NEVER spoke face-to-face with their cashiers before he left the store. When the cashier asked for his ID, she said FaceTime wasn’t appropriate and that he had to physically come into the store. Their cameras caught him returning and getting into the aforementioned heated AF discussion with staffers, but ultimately, he did show his verification, and the transaction was completed.
As for the claims he was a long-time customer of the store — reportedly spending over $10 million over 2 decades — the establishment says they can’t prove how long he shopped there or how much he spent.
On Instagram, Tyrese responded to the new filing, writing in part:
“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. 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 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…..”
He also blamed the conduct on the Donald Trump administration and claimed others had faced similar discriminatory behaviors in the stores. Take a look (below).
https://www.instagram.com/p/CxxL1ZIOsZ1/
While speaking with TMZ on Friday, he went on to confirm he’s fully 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.” He elaborated:
“The Home Depot and its team of attorneys seek to deny our claims and silence our voices as reflected in their most recent court filing. But we will not back down. We will not be bullied. 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.”
Wow. Looks like this legal battle is just getting started.
Thoughts? Share them in the comments…
[Image via MEGA/WENN & The Home Depot/YouTube]