When Michigan man Sauntore Thomas went into his hometown bank on a cold winter morning, he did not expect another showdown in court. He had already had one, a suit over racial discrimination, when he worked at another establishment.
But when he went to cash the checks from the suit, the situation took an unthinkable turn. The police were summoned in minutes. And days later, Thomas was back in court, this time, suing the bank.
The Air Force veteran, who is 44, says a branch of the TCF Bank in Livonia refused to cash or deposit his settlement checks as likely fraudulent. Thomas, who is black, suggests that one thing that was suspicious in that transaction was the color of his own flesh.
“It was embarrassing,” Thomas noted in Detroit’s WXYZ. “If I was white, this wouldn’t be happening.”
Thomas sought to cash three checks totaling roughly $99,000, issued by Enterprise Leasing Co. of Detroit, the former employer, which recently settled the lawsuit filed by him on charges of racial discrimination.
As opposed to congratulatory messages, the teller was confused. According to reports, the teller questioned the authenticity of the checks and summoned a manager. Thomas was soon engulfed by police officers following a suspected case of fraud.
They Just Didn’t Believe Him
Thomas’ lawyer, Deborah Gordon, claims the situation escalated too quickly.
“My client had very legitimate checks, and he had a bank account at this bank,” Gordon noted in the ABC News story. “Right away, they told him there was an issue with verifying the checks, which makes zero sense because these checks were from a large corporate entity.”
Gordon reports that Thomas was sitting in the bank lobby, stunned, as police questioned him and stood as guards outside. She reports that she tried to get through on the phone and was thwarted by the employees who would not connect her through to a manager.
“There’s no explanation for that other than the fact that my client is African American,” she said. “They did not believe him, they did not believe me, and they made an assumption that a black guy that’s in here with these checks — it’s got to be fraud, so let’s just call the cops.”
A Case of Déjà Vu
The original lawsuit, filed against Enterprise Leasing Co., had ended with an undisclosed settlement. But the way the settlement funds were responded to by the TCF Bank was the source of a second lawsuit that gained national publicity.
Gordon indicated that the client was terrified when the officers arrived and that he kept imagining how perilous the situation would get in case things came to a head. He was totally cooperative, but the fear was very much there.
TCF Bank, in a statement given to the Detroit Free Press, verified the amounts on the three checks, $59,000, $27,000, and $13,000, and later admitted police never should have been called.
Bank Admits Mistake, But Damage Is Irreparable
Following the public uproar, the TCF Bank expressed regret towards Thomas, saying that the situation was poorly managed and that the staff should have merely cleared the checks without involving the police.
The bank assured that it had “zero tolerance towards racism” and was sorry for the distress. But Gordon was not impressed. Her opinion was that they could have cleared the checks in minutes.
The experience left an indelible emotional scar on Thomas. He revealed that he had served the nation, worked hard, and depended on the banking system until that day. He felt humiliated just wanting to cash his checks. Instead, he was treated like a suspect.
A Broader Debate Regarding Bias
The affair raised widespread commentary about the subject of banking’s racial profiling, also known as “banking while Black.” Advocates say the incident highlights how systemic bias can follow people even into ordinary financial transactions.
Similar cases have surfaced across the country in recent years, where Black customers have reported being denied service, questioned about legitimate funds, or even detained while trying to access their own money.
Thomas’s account was one of the most commonly cited, not only owing to the absurdity, but owing to the symbolism.
He had succeeded before in court. He had struggled against discrimination and emerged triumphant. But when, after convincing the court, he entered one day into a bank, the same battle arose afresh.
“It Shouldn’t Happen to Anyone”
The second lawsuit is more than money to Thomas. It is about making sure no one has to go through what he went through. “It shouldn’t happen to anyone,” he said. “I served this country. I follow the rules. And I still got treated like I didn’t belong.”
While TCF Bank’s apology acknowledged wrongdoing, Gordon says the damage, both emotional and reputational, was already done. Thomas then found another bank that did not hesitate to cash his checks. They cleared without any issue.
But the experience, he said, changed the way that he perceives ordinary institutions and the speed with which trust is broken. “You think you’re through fighting,” he said. “Then life teaches you there’s always one more round.”
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