Sauntore Thomas, a 44-year-old Air Force veteran, faced a disturbing twist after winning a racial discrimination lawsuit against his employer. When he took his three settlement checks to a TCF Bank branch in Livonia, Michigan, staff refused to deposit them, suspicious of fraud.
Despite offering documentation and his lawyer’s contact information, the bank called the police. Officers questioned Thomas inside the branch as more waited outside, escalating a situation that he says left him deeply humiliated.
The checks, which were legitimate, were later deposited at a different bank and cleared within a day. In response to the incident, Thomas filed a second lawsuit—this time targeting TCF Bank—alleging racial discrimination and unjust treatment. What should have been a moment of closure for one legal battle became the spark for another, highlighting the broader issues Black Americans face in everyday financial spaces.
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