A regular Lyft ride turned into one of the most humiliating experiences of Michigan rapper Dajua “Dank Demoss” Blanding’s life — and now she’s suing the company over it.
According to Blanding, the driver pulled up in a black Mercedes, looked her up and down, locked the doors, and told her she wouldn’t “fit” in his car. In a video she recorded, he can be heard saying, “You can’t, believe me,” before canceling the ride and taking off.
“It was humiliating,” she said. “He decided right away that I didn’t belong.”
The video went viral, fueling a heated debate. Many viewers slammed the driver for discrimination, while others tried to claim he was just worried about his car — an excuse Blanding isn’t buying.
“This wasn’t about the car,” she said. “It was about how he treated me.”
Her legal team has filed a lawsuit under Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which bans weight-based discrimination. They argue the driver unlawfully denied her service and made insulting assumptions about her.
Lyft, which says it forbids discrimination, has not commented on the lawsuit.
Blanding, who has been open about her health challenges, says she’s fighting for dignity, not a payout. “People like me deal with this all the time,” she said. “Speaking up is how things change.”
Her story has sparked a bigger conversation about body shaming, weight bias, and the responsibility ride-share companies have to treat passengers fairly.
As she put it: “Your size doesn’t determine your value. Everyone deserves respect.”