*In Detroit, Sauntore Thomas, 44, has filed a lawsuit against TCF Bank because it called the police on him when he tried to deposit a check from a race discrimination lawsuit.
Thomas alleges TCF accused him of check fraud because the bank couldn’t verify checks. He received the settlement (the amount is undisclosed)Â from Enterprise Rent a Car as the result of a May 2018 lawsuit.
Thomas’ lawsuit was filed on Wednesday (01-22-20) after what he calls the “hellish experience” of being questioned by police in front of bank customers – while two more Detroit police officers guarded the door outside, reports the Detroit Free Press.
Thomas is seeking unspecified damages and an apology from TCF Bank. The bank claims it was only following protocol when there is a large deposit made.
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The bank filed a police report alleging Thomas committed bank fraud. TCF Bank claims the watermark on the checks indicated the checks were fraudulent.
Thomas wasn’t arrested and no charges were filed, the NY Daily News reported.
A spokesperson from the Livonia Police Department told the Free Press that the checks could not be verified because they weren’t payroll checks.
An emailed copy of the settled lawsuit from Thomas’ attorney, Deborah Gordon, didn’t resolve the dispute, nor did conversations with Gordon, the cops and bank personnel.
“Obviously, assumptions were made the minute he walked in based on his race,” attorney Gordon told the Free Press.
“It’s unbelievable that this guy got done with a race discrimination case and he’s not allowed to deposit the checks based on his case? It’s absolutely outrageous.”
Gordon, who is Caucasian, said “banking while Black” should not have been viewed as a crime.
“This is just another classic example of what it’s like living your life as a Black male,” she told BuzzFeed News. “The checks are for real. Why was there an issue? Why could you not verify them? You’re a bank, after all – it’s your job to verify checks.”
For what it’s worth at this point, the bank issued a swift apology for the experience Thomas had at their banking center.
“Local police should not have been involved. We strongly condemn racism and discrimination of any kind,” TCF Bank said in a statement to the Free Press.
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