'Banking while Black': Woman wins casino jackpot, but Michigan bank won't cash check

[In It to Win It]

At 71, Lizzie Pugh thought the days of Jim Crow and getting bullied for being the only Black kid in school in 1960s Alabama were far behind her – until she wound up in a bank with a fat check in her hand.

The Detroit public schools retiree had won a five-figure slot machine jackpot during a church outing at a casino, and went to the bank to deposit it.

But three white bank employees told her the check was fraudulent, Pugh said, and refused to give it back to her.

"I couldn’t really believe they did that to me," Pugh said in a recent interview. "I was devastated. I kept asking, 'How do you know the check is not real?' ... And they just insisted that it was fraudulent ... I was just terrified."

Pugh still gets emotional when she talks about that April day, only now she is armed with a federal lawsuit that she hopes will shed light on what she alleges was blatant racism by employees at Fifth Third Bank in Livonia, Michigan.

According to her lawsuit filed Aug. 29 in U.S. District Court, Pugh's check was good: She got it back after much persistence that day, drove to a nearby Chase bank and deposited it there.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/banking-while-black-woman-wins-171806532.html

[Maraya1969]

1. I would love if she could also sue that fucking bank and quadruple her winnings for the day.

[Blue Owl]

2. Me too!

[2naSalit]

3. +1

[Warpy]

5. I think when she stews over it for a while, she might.

This is a dream case for the ACLU if she had at least one sympathetic witness. If not, contacting the media was the second best thing to do. Still, a nuisance suit with an eye to an out of court settlement might be in order.

Why wasn't the manager summoned? They usually do that for deposits over $10K. And why didn't any of those people think to call the casino and verify that the check was legitimate? That was understandable if the bigots were suspicious.

Shit, I'd have called the cops the second someone said I couldn't have the check back. That's outright theft. Good for her for digging in her heels and refusing to leave without it.

I know I'd never bank anyplace that was that disorganized and clueless. I don't think much of Citibank, but at least they got the job done and she was able to open an account.

[PurgedVoter]

6. Sadly, calling the cops might have gotten her killed.

But we know what bank to avoid now.

[flying_wahini]

4. Sue them bigly!

[ProfessorGAC]

7. OK, So It's A Big Check

Could have been: "Ma'am, given the amount, could you give us an hour to contact the casino to assure it's accuracy? When we get that confirmation (not if), it will be deposited & we'll mail you the receipt."
The bank still gets what ever protection they think they needed, but she gets treated nicely & with respect.
But, no!
Just gets accused of trying to pass a fake check.
Fire everybody involved.

[LymphocyteLover]

10. yes exactly

[Liberal In Texas]

8. I think I'd steer clear of Fifth Third Bank in Livonia, Michigan.

(They have some weird bank names in Michigan.)

[LymphocyteLover]

11. it's a midwestern chain-- they're in Ohio and Indiana

but it is definitely a dumb name

[question everything]

9. K&R

[FakeNoose]

12. Make a night deposit in your ATM, or mail the check to your bank with a deposit slip

Nobody at the bank gets to judge you, nobody gets to decide if you're entitled to the funds. They just need to do their job and see that the funds are available so that the check clears.

[gldstwmn]

13. They could have easily placed a hold on the funds until the check cleared.

I hope all three of them have been relieved of their positions at the bank. There were any number of things they could have done to insure the validity of the check.

[roamer65]

14. She should switch to Huntington.

If she were an established customer, they make $500 available right away on big checks.

Huntington is the best bank I have ever banked with. I know people who have left credit unions for Huntington.