Detroit rapper sues, says driver denied her a ride based on her weight
A Detroit-based rapper has filed a civil lawsuit against rideshare company Lyft, saying a driver refused her service because of her weight.
In a complaint filed Monday in Wayne County Circuit Court, Dajua Blanding, who is known professionally as Dank Demoss, said that on Jan. 18, she had paid Lyft for a ride from her home in Detroit to a football watch party at her cousin’s house. Jan. 18 was the date of the Detroit Lions’ playoff loss to the Washington Commanders.
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.
Blanding said she told the driver that she could fit comfortably in the sedan and the driver allegedly told her 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.
Blanding shared a video of the run-in on her Instagram page on Jan. 19. It has been shared more than 8,000 time since then.
The driver canceled Blanding’s ride and drove away, the complaint alleges. The rapper said she was unable to attend her cousin’s party due to the driver’s actions and suffered an array of damages including: stress, humiliation, embarrassment, outrage, mental anguish, fear and mortification, emotional damages, plus the resulting attorney fees and “other damages to be discovered through the course of litigation.”
Lyft said it does not comment on specific incidents involved in pending litigation. The company noted that all of its drivers are independent contractors.
“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.
Blanding says the driver’s actions amount to weight harassment and violate her rights under the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. She’s seeking an unspecified sum.
“Under the law, refusing someone transportation due to their weight is no different than refusing someone transportation based on their race or religion,” said Blanding’s attorney, Jon Marko, of the Detroit-based Marko Law firm. “Discrimination of any kind should never be tolerated in our society.”
Court officials said a hearing in the case is scheduled for 8 a.m. April 20.
In another video shared on her Instagram page on Monday, Blanding said she weighs 500 pounds. She also said sometimes she doesn’t realize the limitations that her size presents.
“My mind does not know that I’m this big, so I be feeling like I can do everything,” she said.
As Dank Demoss, Blanding has more than 173,000 followers on Instagram. She also has 1,247 monthly listeners on Spotify, where her latest single, “I Miss You,” was released Jan. 4.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
