{"id":5656,"date":"2025-02-04T20:58:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T20:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656"},"modified":"2025-02-04T20:58:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T20:58:58","slug":"rapper-claims-lyft-driver-refused-her-ride-for-being-too-big","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656","title":{"rendered":"Rapper claims Lyft driver refused her ride for being \u2018too big\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-5742\" src=\"https:\/\/readupdatednews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lyft-664x350-1-300x158.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/readupdatednews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lyft-664x350-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/readupdatednews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lyft-664x350-1.jpg 664w\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"158\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A plus-sized rapper is suing a ride share company after she was refused a lift by one of its drivers who insisted \u201cshe was too big to fit in the back seat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dajua Blanding, known by her stage name Dank Demoss, is taking legal action against Lyft and an unidentified driver, alleging that she was denied a ride due to her weight.<\/p>\n<p>The plus-sized rapper claims that on January 18, she ordered a Lyft to get from her home to her cousin\u2019s place for a football game watch party.<\/p>\n<p>The driver \u2013 known only as John Doe \u2013 arrived at Blanding\u2019s Detroit-area home about 10 to 15 minutes later. But when she approached the vehicle expecting to get in, things didn\u2019t go as planned.<\/p>\n<p>In a clip shared by the influencer on TikTok, the woman is heard arguing with the driver, who politely explains his car can\u2019t handle her weight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat makes you think I can\u2019t fit in this car?\u201d she asks the operator of the Honda Civic. After the two share some more (inaudible) words, the driver then says, \u201cTo be more specific with you, I\u2019ve got very tired tires.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When Blanding debates, \u201cWhat I got to do with your tires?\u201d the driver then points to the back of his seat and says, \u201cYou have no space\u2026I have no space in the back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, the driver canceled the ride and left, leaving Blanding unable to attend her cousin\u2019s watch party. Feeling humiliated and wronged, she decided to take legal action.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Too big to fit\u2019<br \/>\nOn January 27 Blanding filed a lawsuit against Lyft and the driver, claiming her civil rights were violated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpecifically, as Plaintiff walked towards the vehicle, Defendant John Doe locked the doors to his vehicle and attempted to drive away,\u201d the lawsuit alleges, according to People.<\/p>\n<blockquote id=\"v19245635308310892\" class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@realbigdankdemoss2\/video\/7461775537745202462\" data-video-id=\"7461775537745202462\"><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed\/v2\/7461775537745202462?lang=en-US&amp;referrer=https%3A%2F%2Freadupdatednews.com%2F2025%2F02%2F04%2Frapper-claims-lyft-driver-refused-her-ride-for-being-too-big%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwY2xjawIPXq5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVFokjNC8GJ9sPoqtNGyyMPtDY3MWbiVPRwVFNHfuwfA6j-xArhTqqUThQ_aem_DpWNoY4azyUuk8q7Ke6msA\" name=\"__tt_embed__v19245635308310892\" sandbox=\"allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-same-origin\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The filing claims that Doe refused her a drive because \u201cshe was too big to fit in the back seat\u201d and \u201chis tires were not capable of supporting Plaintiff\u2019s weight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doe also recommended Blanding request a Lyft XL, larger vehicles that can fit up to six passengers, according to the company\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>Part of this conversation can be heard in the TikTok clip: \u201cI don\u2019t never have to order an Uber [Lyft] XL,\u201d Blanding insisted, claiming that \u201cshe did not require a bigger car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Discrimination\u2019<br \/>\nSpeaking with People, her attorney John Marko explains that \u201crefusing someone transportation due to their weight is no different than refusing someone transportation based on their race or religion. Discrimination of any kind should never be tolerated in our society.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Attorney Zach Runyan adds, \u201cRefusing someone transportation based on their weight is not only illegal, but dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cImagine 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,\u201d Runyan said of the woman, who was safely standing outside her home when she was refused the ride.<\/p>\n<p>Car was too small<br \/>\nOnline users had a lot to say about the incident, the majority suggesting that a passenger\u2019s size might compromise safety or vehicle functionality.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat car was obviously too small. That driver had every right to refuse due to safety alone. Seatbelt wouldn\u2019t fit properly, and the extra weight would have destroyed his transmission, tires, shocks, and dislodged the front passenger seat,\u201d writes one user on Blanding\u2019s Facebook post where she shares images with her team of lawyers. \u201cIt\u2019s a shame you trying to win the ghetto lottery. The lawyers are slime to even take this case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A second Facebooker shares, \u201cI side with the driver on this one. I\u2019m against discrimination 100%, but this wasn\u2019t discrimination. Cars can only safely hold a certain amount [of] weight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s suing a man who kindly declined the ride. He wasn\u2019t rude or disrespectful, and according to Lyft he has the right to decline a ride lol. So, taking a man\u2019s livelihood because he said \u2018no thank you,\u2019 is diabolical,\u201d shares a third netizen.<\/p>\n<p>A fourth user rages that \u201cthe whole lawsuit is a farce.\u201d \u201cYou knew damn well you couldn\u2019t fit in his car when he pulled up. At the end of the day, it\u2019s his car and his judgement call\u2026I hope the man sues you,\u201d the person shares.<\/p>\n<p>Another cyber fan, who refers to herself as a big, beautiful woman (BBW), offers her thoughts: \u201cLyft drivers do have the right to cancel a ride but being honest she knew she needed to order an XL ride. I\u2019m a BBW and when I order a Lyft I get an XL ride cause I get it to be comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FBlairpinkmelondy%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0UUE5YdsACrb53W3cZ5nuGE62GSm4Dbvg2Bh8bUJf6d33z41hqPLgLYZQoL2sMg5ql&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"592\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-origwidth=\"500\" data-origheight=\"592\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Emotional distress<br \/>\nAccording to People, Blanding is seeking compensation for a range of damages, including stress, humiliation, embarrassment, outrage, and mental anguish. She also claims the incident caused fear and emotional distress, impacting both her well-being and daily life. In addition to emotional and economic damages, she is demanding legal fees and court costs to be covered as part of her lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>A statement shared by Lyft reads: \u201cLyft unequivocally condemns all forms of discrimination \u2013 we believe in a community where everyone is treated with equal respect and mutual kindness\u2026Our community guidelines and terms of service explicitly prohibit harassment or discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As legal proceedings continue, all eyes will be on this case to see whether it reshapes the way rideshare companies operate.<\/p>\n<p>What are your thoughts on the driver denying Blanding a ride? Please let us know what you think and then share this story so we can hear from others!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A plus-sized rapper is suing a ride share company after she was refused a lift by one of its drivers who insisted \u201cshe was too big to fit in the back seat.\u201d Dajua Blanding, known by her stage name Dank Demoss, is taking legal action against Lyft and an unidentified driver, alleging that she was&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Rapper claims Lyft driver refused her ride for being \u2018too big\u2019 - VM News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rapper claims Lyft driver refused her ride for being \u2018too big\u2019 - VM News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A plus-sized rapper is suing a ride share company after she was refused a lift by one of its drivers who insisted \u201cshe was too big to fit in the back seat.\u201d Dajua Blanding, known by her stage name Dank Demoss, is taking legal action against Lyft and an unidentified driver, alleging that she was...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"VM News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-04T20:58:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/475993676_582044551471619_3438648061207719559_n.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"552\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"617\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"vmfavorite\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"vmfavorite\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"vmfavorite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e30a4c480fba08110aa92dceebedad\"},\"headline\":\"Rapper claims Lyft driver refused her ride for being \u2018too big\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-04T20:58:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656\"},\"wordCount\":946,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/475993676_582044551471619_3438648061207719559_n.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656\",\"name\":\"Rapper claims Lyft driver refused her ride for being \u2018too big\u2019 - VM News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/475993676_582044551471619_3438648061207719559_n.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-04T20:58:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e30a4c480fba08110aa92dceebedad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/475993676_582044551471619_3438648061207719559_n.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/475993676_582044551471619_3438648061207719559_n.jpg\",\"width\":552,\"height\":617},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rapper claims Lyft driver refused her ride for being \u2018too big\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/\",\"name\":\"VM News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e30a4c480fba08110aa92dceebedad\",\"name\":\"vmfavorite\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ae7ad0af0818c5b3c7c52f4610bfa26e9985055e4db731befcf55c2fdcfd9b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ae7ad0af0818c5b3c7c52f4610bfa26e9985055e4db731befcf55c2fdcfd9b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"vmfavorite\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rapper claims Lyft driver refused her ride for being \u2018too big\u2019 - VM News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rapper claims Lyft driver refused her ride for being \u2018too big\u2019 - VM News","og_description":"A plus-sized rapper is suing a ride share company after she was refused a lift by one of its drivers who insisted \u201cshe was too big to fit in the back seat.\u201d Dajua Blanding, known by her stage name Dank Demoss, is taking legal action against Lyft and an unidentified driver, alleging that she was...","og_url":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656","og_site_name":"VM News","article_published_time":"2025-02-04T20:58:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":552,"height":617,"url":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/475993676_582044551471619_3438648061207719559_n.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"vmfavorite","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"vmfavorite","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656"},"author":{"name":"vmfavorite","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e30a4c480fba08110aa92dceebedad"},"headline":"Rapper claims Lyft driver refused her ride for being \u2018too big\u2019","datePublished":"2025-02-04T20:58:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656"},"wordCount":946,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/475993676_582044551471619_3438648061207719559_n.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656","url":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656","name":"Rapper claims Lyft driver refused her ride for being \u2018too big\u2019 - VM News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/475993676_582044551471619_3438648061207719559_n.jpg","datePublished":"2025-02-04T20:58:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e30a4c480fba08110aa92dceebedad"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/475993676_582044551471619_3438648061207719559_n.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/475993676_582044551471619_3438648061207719559_n.jpg","width":552,"height":617},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=5656#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rapper claims Lyft driver refused her ride for being \u2018too big\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/","name":"VM News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e30a4c480fba08110aa92dceebedad","name":"vmfavorite","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ae7ad0af0818c5b3c7c52f4610bfa26e9985055e4db731befcf55c2fdcfd9b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ae7ad0af0818c5b3c7c52f4610bfa26e9985055e4db731befcf55c2fdcfd9b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"vmfavorite"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/news-vm.com"],"url":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5656"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5658,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5656\/revisions\/5658"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}