Rapper files lawsuit against Lyft after being refused service because she was 'too big'
A plus-sized rapper is taking Lyft to court after one of its drivers told her he wasn't willing to drive her because she was 'too big'.
Dank Demoss, real name Dajua Blanding, was refused the service earlier this month and took to Instagram to share a clip she recorded from the moment the cabby told her she couldn't fit in his motor.
"AM I WRONG ? @lyft what yall got to say about this yall driver discriminated against me ….. I JUST FEEL LIKE YALL TREAT BIG PPLE LIKE S**T LIKE WE DON'T BELONG HERE," she captioned the video.
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In the clip, the driver can be heard pleading his case as to why he wasn't willing to take her to her destination.
"I got no space at all, my car is small," he says.
Demoss, of Detroit, Michigan, replied: "I can fit in this car."
"No believe me you can't, so... I'm sorry," the driver responded.
She then asks what will happen with her money, to which he explains that he was going to cancel it so that she wouldn't be charged.
He then explains it's because he's got 'very tired tires', the rapper responds: "What I got to do with your tires?"
Demoss was hoping for the driver to take her to a Detroit Lions watch party earlier this month.
Here is the clip:
Now, the 36-year-old has attained two attorneys, Jonathan Marko and Zach Runyan, to sue Lyft for discrimination.
Speaking to Fox 2 Detroit, she said: "I've been in cars smaller than that. I just want them to know that it hurt my feelings."
While her lawyer Marko added: "I knew that it was illegal and I knew that it was wrong ... 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."
Lyft has issued the following statement: "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, which Demoss uploaded on her social media account, drew thousands of comments in.
Commenting on the video, one person wrote: "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 simply said: "SUE."
While Lyft added in the comments: "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."
Joe Yates