Detroit rapper Dank Demoss is suing the ride-share company Lyft, saying a driver refused to let her into a car because of her weight.
Demoss, whose legal name is Dajua Blanding, posted a video on Instagram on Jan. 19. The clip shows an exchange with an alleged Lyft driver who denied her a ride.
In the video the driver tells her,
“I’m sorry. I got no space. My car is small.”
Demoss, 29, answers,
“I can fit in this car.”
The driver replies,
“Believe me you can’t. … So I’m sorry. I’m gonna cancel [the ride]; you’re not gonna be charged.”
Demoss asks,
“So you’re telling me I can’t get in the Lyft because I can’t fit in your car? … So are you really telling me I’m too big to get in your car so I’ve got to order another Lyft?”
The driver tells her,
“Yeah, you need to order a bigger car.”
The complaint says the driver also cited a problem with his tires as a reason she could not ride.
Demoss announced the lawsuit on social media Tuesday, sharing videos of herself with her attorneys.
The suit was filed in Wayne County Circuit Court in Michigan against Lyft and a driver identified as John Doe.
The complaint alleges a violation of Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on religion, race, color, age, sex, height, weight and familial status.
According to the filing, on Jan. 18 Demoss paid for a Lyft from her Detroit home to a football watch party at her cousin’s house.
The suit says a Mercedes-Benz sedan arrived. When Demoss tried to enter, the driver locked the doors and attempted to drive away.
It alleges the driver told her she was “too big” for the back seat and claimed
“his tires were not capable of supporting Plaintiff’s weight.”
The driver left, preventing Demoss from attending the party, the complaint says.
She claims she suffered stress, humiliation, mental anguish and emotional injury as a result.
The complaint states, “Defendant Lyft, through its agents, representatives, and employees, unlawfully discriminated against Plaintiff based on her weight, treated her differently from similarly situated individuals based on weight, and allowed Plaintiff to be subjected to unlawful harassment based on her weight.”
The lawsuit seeks damages covering attorney fees, costs and exemplary damages.
Demoss told Detroit NBC affiliate WDIV, “I was embarrassed, and I felt some type of way about it.”
She added, “I haven’t really left my house since that.”
Zach Runyan, Demoss’ attorney, said in a statement:
“Refusing someone transportation based on their weight is not only illegal, but dangerous.
Imagine the consequences if Ms. Blanding were unable to seek shelter after the driver left her stranded. This could have ended even worse than it did.”
Lyft issued a statement saying it “unequivocally condemns all forms of discrimination.”
The company added, “We believe in a community where everyone is treated with equal respect and mutual kindness.”
Lyft pointed to its community guidelines and terms of service, which forbid harassment and discrimination.
Lyft said it cannot comment on specific incidents involving pending litigation and noted its drivers are independent contractors.