DPS Retiree Alleges Racist Bank Teller Wouldn’t Deposit Casino Jackpot-Winning Check

Lizzie Pugh, a Black Detroit public schools retiree, has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that white employees at Fifth Third Bank in Livonia refused to cash and deposit her slot machine jackpot check. She won it during a church outing to the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mt. Pleasant.

Growing up in the Jim Crow South, Pugh is no stranger to racism. But, decades later and now living in Michigan, the 77-year-old never thought she’d be disdainfully turned away by a bank for trying to cash in honest winnings she collected from Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort. 

Lizzie Pugh told CNN she won $20,000 on a slot machine during a church outing earlier this year.

Blatant Racism

The 77-year-old alleges that three white bank employees told her the five-figure check was fraudulent and and refused to give it back, reports Tresa Baldas of the Detroit Free Press. Pugh, who is a deacon at her church, says it’s blatant racism.

“I couldn’t really believe they did that to me,” Pugh tells the Freep. “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 recalled to Insider that it reminded her of the kind of experiences she faced as a kid in Alabama. For instance, she said she has vivid memories of white students beating on their desks in the classroom during the days of school desegregation. 

The Aug. 29 lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit says after much persistence that day she got the bank to return her check, which she then deposited at a nearby Chase bank. It cleared the following day without issue, the lawsuit says. 

According to the complaint, Pugh asked the bank employees to call 911 because she was not leaving without her check. Pugh then spoke with a third bank employee who also said the check was fraudulent and because of that the bank would not allow Pugh to open an account and deposit the check. Eventually the bank employees gave Pugh her check back.

In its statement, Fifth Third Bank says it stands by its employees, “From our review of the claims, we believe our employees’ actions have been misinterpreted. That said, we regret Ms. Pugh has come away feeling mistreated after her interactions at our branch, as our employees’ actions were consistent with our process and the dual goals of serving our customers while also preventing potential frauds that can victimize both the bank and our customers.”