Posted on 09/08/2022 4:02:45 AM PDT by dennisw
A Black woman from Michigan says she was racially discriminated against when three employees at a Fifth Third Bank told her a casino jackpot check she was trying to deposit was fraudulent, according to a recently filed federal lawsuit.
Lizzie Pugh, 71, tried to deposit the check April 11 at one of the bank’s Livonia branches, according to the suit filed Aug. 29 in U.S. District Court in Michigan. The lawsuit said Pugh had a check in hand from the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant, where she had hit a slot machine jackpot on April 9 while out with a church group.
Lizzie Pugh. (Courtesy of Attorney Deborah Gordon) Lizzie Pugh. (Courtesy of Attorney Deborah Gordon) When she arrived at Fifth Third, where she did not have an account, Pugh was told by three white female employees, her check was fraudulent while attempting to open a savings account. The employees also tried to keep the check, according to the suit, which does not name the employees.
Pugh’s attorney, Deborah Gordon, told NBC News on Wednesday the check her client tried to deposit was for about $12,000 after taxes were taken out by the casino on a $20,000 jackpot.
Pugh, according to the lawsuit, was raised in Alabama during the Jim Crow era and retired from Detroit Public Schools after 36 years.
“This is just one example of the continual hurdles and indignities that Black Americans face every day,” Gordon said.
A spokesperson for Fifth Third Bank said in a statement: “At Fifth Third, we are committed to fair and responsible banking and prohibit discrimination of any kind
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
My bet is some of the bank employees that offended her are black also.
At age 71 she is getting SS. Go to your bank that handles this.
Scam lawsuit!
Casino checks are sketchy anyway but they should have deposited it and held it till cleared. They screwed up and now they will really pay.
I remember back before direct deposit was a thing where when I went to deposit a check in my own bank they would accept the check but then put a HOLD on it until the check cleared.
I suspect she was trying to cash the check and not deposit it. I doubt any bank would cash a $20,000 check from someone that was not a customer.
There are many reasons (other then racism) why she may have had problems cashing the check.
Sounds like she’s looking for another jackpot.
$12,000.00 and instead of depositing it she wants to cash it?
Tells me all I need to know.
The very paradigm of what union guys I once worked with called a "grievance monkey".
Was the check drawn on a real bank or written against the casino itself?
Makes a difference.
Article says she wanted to deposit it, but did not have an account.
Otoh, why didn't she cash it at the casino?
Article is invalid. It uppercases black while lowercasing White.
To the privileged, entitled woman who saw an opportunity to win big twice: If I were to go to a bank to try to cash a check for 12,000, and I didn’t have an account there, they would not cash it for me either.
Maybe she didn’t have photo ID. Ya know, it’s impossible for blacks to get state photo ID.
The article says she was trying to open a savings account with them.
“she wanted to deposit it, but did not have an account.”
What kind of a person doesn’t have a simple bank account but gambles at casinos?
Wait. Don’t tell me...
The article says she was trying to start a savings account with the bank
“check she was trying to deposit was fraudulent”
My bank holds checks over a certain amount but they can tell immediately if there are funds to cash the check.
Maybe there was a problem with the casino account. But I agree with others, the fact she didn’t go to her regular bank (SS and teacher retirement) raises all sorts of red flags.
Story written by yahoo news, yeah, I believe every word of it.
Produce the check for scrutiny and verification. If fraudulent, tell her, “Nice try”. If genuine, cash it.
Yes, indeed.
“I remember back ... when I went to deposit a check in my own bank they would accept the check but then put a HOLD on it until the check cleared.”
Really. Our account balance is large enough that our asses are kissed at the bank. Even then, we understand that a check of $12k would have a hold on it. We are pasty-faced white people.
Why is this low-life gambling loser crying “racism”?
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