Plus-sized rapper sues Lyft after being denied ride due to weight

[KENNEDY FELTON]

A plus-sized rapper is taking legal action after she says a Lyft driver refused to pick her up because of her size.

“I CAN FIT IN THIS CAR.” “BELIEVE ME, YOU CAN’T.”

Detroit-based rapper Dajua Blanding—who goes by her stage name Dank DeMoss—is filing a lawsuit against rideshare service Lyft and the driver who cancelled her ride on January 18.

In a video shared to her Instagram, you can hear Blanding going back and forth with the driver—who is listed as a John Doe in the filing. The driver—who was in a Mercedes Benz—said he’d been through a similar situation before and mentioned the car’s tires not being able to hold her weight. He apologized to Blanding and said he would refund it.

“I feel like us as bigger people, we’re not accommodated. He didn’t even try. As soon as he looked at me… he dismissed me.” – Dajua Blanding

Online reactions to the situation have been fairly mixed, with many social media users taking the defense of the Lyft driver under Blanding’s post.

“This man is protecting his car. If I was her driver I probably would’ve said the same thing.” – @thatgirl__renae_

“As someone who drives for Uber and Lyft, you should definitely be ordering XL rides since they are bigger cars that can handle more weight. I have a 7 seat SUV and can squeeze bigger folks like you and me into it, but tiny cars aren’t made for so much weight in one space… we still gotta live in reality that we won’t fit in every seat.” – @glittergirl1984

Lyft’s anti-discrimination policies include race, national origin, and medical condition among seven others.

“Lyft even commented to me… they said they don’t condone discrimination. They also said we don’t condone how the driver treated you.”

In a statement to NBC, Lyft says they “unequivocally condemn all forms of discrimination…” and—

“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.”

Blanding is reportedly suing for violating Michigan civil rights laws on discrimination based on weight.