Nationwide — Dajua Blanding, a Detroit rapper known as Dank Demoss, is suing a Lyft driver for refusing her a ride because of her size. The driver, who arrived in a Mercedes Benz sedan, reportedly locked his doors and tried to drive off when he saw her.Blanding, who had requested a ride to a Detroit Lions watch party, confronted the driver while recording the encounter. “I can fit in this car,” she can be heard saying, to which he responded, “Believe me, you can’t.”
The driver told her she was too big to fit in the backseat and that his tires couldn’t handle her weight. He offered to refund the ride and suggested she book a larger vehicle instead.
“I’ve been in cars smaller than that,” she told FOX 2 Detroit. “I just want them to know that it hurt my feelings.”
Blanding has since filed a lawsuit, arguing the driver’s refusal violated Michigan law, which protects against weight-based discrimination. Her attorneys, Jonathan Marko and Zach Runyan, state that denying a ride based on weight is no different from discrimination based on race or religion. They say Lyft drivers can refuse rides for security reasons but cannot discriminate against legally protected characteristics.
Lyft has been served with the lawsuit. In their statement, the company condemned all forms of discrimination, saying, “We believe in a community where everyone is treated with equal respect and mutual kindness. Our community guidelines and terms of service explicitly prohibit harassment or discrimination.”
Meanwhile, some people who commented on Blanding’s Instagram posts have defended the driver, claiming that Blanding was threatening his livelihood. One person wrote, “I hope the driver also files a lawsuit, he’s the real victim in this.”
“There’s a difference from actual discrimination & common sense. I mean listen to the man’s car…I personally don’t think he wanted to be offensive but literally had to not allow the service with her. I’m sorry she experienced this but this is NOT a lawsuit,” another person said.