He was ‘humiliated’ and embarrassed when police showed up.
A man who sued his employer for racial discrimination, and won, claims he was discriminated against again… when trying to bank the checks.
Sauntore Thomas, an Air Force veteran from Michigan, said he was left ‘humiliated’ when the bank called the cops to interrogate him under the belief the checks were fraudulent.
He then filed a second lawsuit against the bank, stating: “They discriminated against me because I’m black. None of this would have happened if I were white.”
His attorney, Deborah Gordon, said it was a classic example of ‘banking while black’, adding to ABC News: “I just think they saw this guy, a black guy in jeans, and it’s like, ‘What was he doing with his money?’
“There’s no explanation for that other than the fact that my client is African American and that is my firm belief.
“They never offered an explanation as to why the police were called and they never offered an explanation that made any sense as to why they thought the checks were fraudulent.”
Though the bank apologized for the apparent error, Thomas launched the legal action in 2020, filing for an undisclosed amount for compensatory and punitive damages.
