A Detroit resident filed legal charges against Lyft after discovering that a driver refused transportation because of how overweight she appeared to be.
Rapper Dank Demoss or Dajua Blanding released footage of the incident on social media that prompted widespread outrage among her followers.
A driver in this video told the 36-year-old passenger that her body size matched the small dimensions of his Mercedes Benz Sedan.
The driver tells Blanding through the clip that he has no room to accommodate her because his compact car remains small.
Blanding found it difficult to understand the driver who told her “I can fit in this car.”
The driver made his position stronger by repeating “No, believe me, you can’t so…” I’m sorry.”
The driver tells her that he will cancel the ride because she must be refunded her money.
Through disbelief Blanding asks the driver to confirm whether his reluctance to serve stems from her size.
The driver delivers his verdict instantly when he tells her “You need to order a bigger car.”
His explanation becomes highly unusual as he adds “very tired tires” to his list of excuses for refusing service.
Thanks to her annoyance Blanding pushes back with “What I got to do with your tires?”
When she felt targeted by discrimination she published her video on Instagram so her supporters could see it.
Over a Lyft broadcast she directed the message “@lyft what yall got to say about this yall driver discriminated against me.”
She expressed “I JUST FEEL LIKE YALL TREAT BIG PPLE LIKE S**T LIKE WE DONT BELONG HERE,” about the way black people receive treatment.
She published the video on Instagram which quickly spread among viewers who urged both Lyft and Blanding to address the situation.
The negative reactions grew stronger when more users insisted for the company to provide an answer.
Blanding took this case to litigation because of his concerns.
In an interview with Fox 2 Detroit she clarified her decision to retain two legal professionals to file a complaint against Lyft.
Blanding lives in Michigan which maintains the nation’s only legal protections against weight discrimination.
I have rode in vehicles which measure smaller than this one. She stated to the outlet “I want drivers to understand that my feelings got hurt” about the situation.
Jonathan Marko along with other attorneys criticized the driver for his decision by highlighting the seriousness of what happened.
Scott Marko compared the driver’s actions to someone who asks to exclude specific racial groups or religious groups’ members from their vehicle.
According to him the legal context makes no distinction between this behavior and other discriminatory practices.
When the situation became controversial Lyft issued an official statement about what occurred.
According to the company website the organization maintains a belief in establishing communities that foster equal respect along with mutual kindness toward all members.
Our platform has explicit rules which specify that users must stay free from harassment and all forms of discrimination.
Many people continue to observe Lyft’s response to the current lawsuit.
Feature Image Credit: (Instagram/@dankdemoss)