Dajua Blanding, a Detroit rapper who goes by Dank Demoss, is suing a Lyft driver after he refused to give her a ride because of her size. The incident happened when Blanding requested a Lyft to take her to a Detroit Lions watch party. When the driver, in a Mercedes Benz sedan, arrived, he reportedly locked his doors and tried to drive off after seeing her.
Blanding, who was recording the interaction, confronted the driver, telling him, “I can fit in this car.” The driver disagreed, telling her she was too big for the backseat and that his car’s tires couldn’t handle her weight. He then offered to refund the ride and suggested she book a larger vehicle.
In an interview with FOX 2 Detroit, Blanding said, “I’ve been in cars smaller than that. I just want them to know that it hurt my feelings.”
Blanding has since filed a lawsuit against the driver, claiming the refusal was a violation of Michigan’s law against weight-based discrimination. Her lawyers, Jonathan Marko and Zach Runyan, argue that turning her away because of her size is no different than discriminating based on race or religion. They also point out that Lyft drivers can refuse rides for safety reasons but can’t discriminate against legally protected characteristics like weight.
Lyft has been served with the lawsuit, and in a statement, the company condemned discrimination of any kind. They said, “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.”
However, some people in the comments on Blanding’s Instagram posts have come to the driver’s defense. Some argued that Blanding was threatening his job by filing the lawsuit. One person wrote, “I hope the driver also files a lawsuit, he’s the real victim in this.”
Another commenter wrote, “There’s a difference between actual discrimination and common sense. Listen to the man’s car… I don’t think he wanted to be offensive, but he literally couldn’t allow the service. I’m sorry she experienced this, but this is NOT a lawsuit.”
It seems like people are divided on whether this situation is a case of discrimination or just an unfortunate misunderstanding.
