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Detroit rapper has sued Lyft after being denied entry into the car. The rapper Dajua Blanding, known on stage as Dank Demoss, shared videos of the incident on social media, alleging the Lyft driver denied her access because of her size. Blanding says the main reason for sharing her encounter with Lyft is so as to raise awareness on fatphobia since it is not discussed enough.
Blanding alleged that the driver was not compassionate towards her and her feelings. “I’ve been in that same type of car many times and never had an issue,” said Blanding. “This was someone who was discriminating against me just because of my weight.” She claims the altercation with the Lyft driver made her feel “hurt and embarrassed.”
In a complaint filed in Wayne County Circuit Court, Dajua Blanding said that she had paid Lyft for a ride from her home in Detroit to a football watch party at her cousin’s house. When the Lyft driver, who is not identified by name in the complaint, arrived at her home 10-15 minutes later in a Mercedes Benz sedan, he refused to let in Blanding, instead locking the doors and driving away, the complaint states.
Blanding alleges she asked the driver what he was doing and he told her she was “too big” to get into his car because the tires were not capable of supporting her weight. After Blanding told the driver she could fit comfortably in the car, the driver allegedly told Blanding, he had “this problem in the past” and that overweight customers must order
Lyft XLs. According to the company’s website, XL rides can fit up to six passengers and “rates are a bit higher than standard rides” and vary by region. “Lyft unequivocally condemns all forms of discrimination, 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,” a Lyft spokesperson said in an email.
