554-Pound Rapper Sues Lyft After Driver Says She Was Too Big To Get In His Car

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A morbidly obese rapper from Detroit has sued Lyft, the ridesharing app, after her driver refused to transport her, telling her she was too big for his Mercedes Benz.

Rapper Sues Lyft After Driver Tells Her She Was Too Big To Step Into His Mercedes

Dajua Blanding, known as Dank Demoss, likes to call herself a BBW (“big beautiful woman”). She’s a foul-mouthed rapper who has embraced her dangerous obesity and developed a brand out of it.

She called a Lyft but when the driver appeared and noticed how large she was, he refused to let her in, telling her she would not fit.

Blanding: Yes, I can!

Driver: Believe me, you can’t

The driver explained that his low-profile tires could not handle her weight…he said he would cancel the ride so she would not be charged and recommended that she order a Lyft XL (“a larger vehicle that can fit up to six passengers”).

Blanding rued, “I’ve been in cars smaller than that. I just want them to know it hurt my feelings.”

But hurt feelings are not protected by law. However, her weight may be…

Her attorney has filed a lawsuit against Lyft, claiming compensation for:

stress
mental anguish
attorneys fees
damages

The proposed damages stem from violating Michigan’s 1976 Elliott-Larson Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of “religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status, or marital status.” (restrictions against height and weight were added in 2009).

Here’s the thing…as absurd as it may sound, I read over Michigan’s Civil Rights Act and I don’t see any exceptions for public safety in this context…which strikes me as a huge oversight. Religious institutions, some private clubs, are exempt. There are also “bona fide occupational qualification” (BFOQ) exemptions, like a police officer needing to be under a certain age or meet certain height and weight standards.

But nothing for Lyft…and that creates an unsavory situation in which Blanding could prevail.

Lyft, for its part, offered only a vague statement on discrimination.

“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 stupid statement, I should add.

Our every decision is an act of discrimination. Life is about discriminating between the choices we have. Some discrimination is unlawful, but we all discriminate each and every day. All day long…

And then there’s the issue of what the law was meant to guard against versus its textual bounds. I thought this comment from her Instagram page from another woman of size was quite reasonable:

Most drivers, would’ve canceled the ride and left her standing out there. At least he was honest even though she’s in denial. People have gotten so complacent with sugar coating things that, it’s almost a crime when you tell the truth. Then, we immediately say, “it’s discrimination, it’s racism, it’s, prejudice, it’s this and that”.

No Queen, it’s your reality standing in your face because you’re constantly running from it. The driver said nothing wrong and he was respectful the entire time. He never once called her out of her name, called her fat, or addressed her issue negatively. He simply gave her a suggestion that was plausible. He told the truth. The only reason she is causing a scene is because 1, her self-esteem was hurt, so the only revenge she could get would be to ruin this man’s life using social media. 2, she has the platform/fans, which is a pacifier to help make her feel better.

Now, of course, I am not here to bash or make this Queen feel worse. I am also a plus size woman. Not proud of it but it is reality. However, you cannot be offended or upset when reality hit and it hurts.

But the law may say otherwise. If Lyft doesn’t settle, Blanding could win in court…either way, I think she wins…and that’s an indictment on Michigan law.

image: @dankdemoss / Instagram