A Detroit-based rapper has taken legal action against the ride-sharing company Lyft after claiming that one of their drivers refused to give her a ride because she was ‘too big’.
Dajua Blanding, who goes by the stage name Dank Demoss, faced this humiliating incident when trying to catch a ride in her hometown earlier this month. Upset by the encounter, she took to social media to share a video clip she captured during the interaction with the Lyft driver.
In this clip, the driver is heard explaining his unwillingness to take Demoss by saying, “I got no space at all, my car is small.” Despite Demoss’s assurance that she could fit in the car comfortably, the driver insisted that it wasn’t possible and offered to cancel the ride to avoid any charges to her account.
Demoss, who was planning to attend a Detroit Lions watch party, was understandably upset and hurt by this experience. She voiced her frustrations on Instagram, captioning the video with her feelings about the discrimination.
In the video, the driver also mentioned that he had ‘very tired tires’, to which Demoss rightfully responded, “What I got to do with your tires?”.
Since then, the 36-year-old has hired attorneys Jonathan Marko and Zach Runyan to pursue a lawsuit against Lyft, accusing the company and its driver of discrimination. During an interview with Fox 2 Detroit, Demoss shared, “I’ve been in cars smaller than that. I just want them to know that it hurt my feelings.”
Attorney Marko emphasized the illegality of the incident, comparing it to other forms of discrimination saying, “It would be no different than a driver pulling up and saying, ‘I don’t want to have Black people in my car or I don’t want to have Christians in my car.’ It’s the same, under the law it’s the same.”
In response to the controversy, Lyft released a statement saying, “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.”
The video that Demoss posted has garnered significant attention, drawing thousands of comments from viewers who were shocked by the driver’s behavior. One user commented, “He messed up when he said to order a xl and when he said his tires were too tired. I’m disappointed in @lyft.” Another echoed the sentiment with a straightforward “SUE.”
Lyft’s response in the comments section indicated their disapproval of the situation, stating, “We’re disheartened to look at this driver’s unacceptable behavior. Please DM us at your earliest convenience for additional support. We’d like to address this as soon as possible.”
