A Michigan rapper says a Lyft driver denied her a ride due to her size. She's now suing.
A rapper in Detroit has sued Lyft and a driver over allegations that the driver denied her a ride because of her size.
Dank Demoss, whose formal name is Dajua Blanding, in a complaint filed against Lyft in Michigan, has alleged that a Lyft driver discriminated against her and subjected her to "unlawful harassment" due to her size. The complaint added the driver violated Michigan's anti-discrimination laws under which weight is a protected characteristic.
According to the complaint, filed by Blanding's attorneys Jonathan Marko and Zach Runyan and viewed by Paste BN, Blanding had booked and paid for a Lyft ride from her home in Detroit to a football watch party at her cousin's house on Jan. 18. When the car, a Mercedes Benz sedan, arrived about 10-15 minutes later and Blanding attempted to sit in it, the driver "refused" to let her in. The complaint alleges the driver even "locked the doors to his vehicle and attempted to drive away" telling Blanding she was "too big" to get into his car, and that he was canceling her ride.
Driver told her she was 'too big too fit in the back seat', compliant alleges
Blanding, in the complaint, said she tried to reason with the driver and assured him she could fit in the back seat, but the driver refused telling her she was "too big to fit in the back seat" and that the car's "tires were not capable of supporting" her weight. He added had faced similar issues in the past and told Blanding to book an XL car, before cancelling the ride and driving away.
The complaint said the driver's "actions were intentional and in disregard" for Blanding's "rights and sensibilities" and that she was "unjustly denied a ride."
“Under the law, refusing someone transportation due to their weight is no different than refusing someone transportation based on their race or religion,” Marko said in a statement. “Discrimination of any kind should never be tolerated in our society.”
Runyan, in an email to Paste BN, said “refusing someone transportation based on their weight is not only illegal, but dangerous.”
“Imagine the consequences if Ms. Blanding were unable to seek shelter after the driver left her stranded," Runyan said. "This could have ended even worse than it did.”
Demoss first shared her experience on social media
The incident first came to light when Blanding, who refers to herself as a plus-sized rapper, shared a video of herself interacting with the Lyft driver in a Jan. 19 post on Instagram and claimed that he refused her a ride because of her weight.
"AM I WRONG?," Blanding had written in the post. "(Lyft) what y'all got to say about this yall driver discriminated against me...I JUST FEEL LIKE YALL TREAT BIG PPLE LIKE SH*T LIKE WE DONT BELONG HERE."
In the video shared by Blanding, the two can be heard arguing over whether she can fit in the car, with the driver telling her she can't and that the car's tires wouldn't be able to handle the weight.
"I can fit in this car," she can be heard saying, to which the driver responded, "Believe me, you can't." He added he had been in a similar situation before and advised Blanding to book an XL vehicle.
The driver then apologized to Blanding for refusing the ride and said he would refund it so she wouldn't be charged.
'Hurt and embarrassed'
Blanding in interviews with FOX 2 and CBS News Detroit has maintained that she could have fit in the car.
"I've been in cars smaller than that," Blanding told FOX 2. "I just want them to know that it hurt my feelings."
Blanding told CBS News Detroit she was "hurt and embarrassed" because of the incident and said she has "been in that same type of car many times and never had an issue."
"This was someone who was discriminating against me just because of my weight," Blanding told the media outlet, adding she posted the video to raise awareness for an issue that she believes is not highlighted enough.
Lyft reacts
Lyft, meanwhile, in a statement said it "condemns all forms of discrimination." The company says it cannot comment on specific incidents involving pending litigation and that drivers work with it as independent contractors. The driver involved in the incident has not been identified.
"Lyft unequivocally condemns all forms of discrimination—we believe in a community where everyone is treated with equal respect and mutual kindness," the company said in an emailed statement to Paste BN. "Our community guidelines and terms of service explicitly prohibit harassment or discrimination."
The company also left a comment on Blanding's original Instagram post asking her to reach out for "additional support."
"We're disheartened to look at this driver's unacceptable behavior," Lyft wrote in the comment. "Please DM us at your earliest convenience for additional support. We'd like to address this as soon as possible."
Runyan told Paste BN Wednesday the next step would be for Lyft to respond to the lawsuit.
This story was updated to add details on the complaint after it was obtained by Paste BN.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.