Lyft for sure is one of the most popular services when it comes to taking rides on the go, as millions of people use it worldwide, though it is particularly famous in the United States. But, now we’re seeing things like this Lyft Passenger Denied Ride Lawsuit, and since many of you use Lyft services on a daily basis, it really makes you curious, right? Like, what is it all about, and why is this lawsuit even a thing?
Let’s get to a little bit of the backstory of this lawsuit, shall we? So, it was the day of January 18, 2025, when Dank DeMoss (Dajua Blanding) ordered a Lyft, she is a rapper by the way, and she thought that this was just another usual ride as she has used Lyft so many times. But nah! She was heading to her cousin’s house to watch a football game together, but then, when her ride arrived, the driver denied her ride. Why? Well, for a strange reason actually.
You see, when her ride showed up, which was a fancy Mercedes-Benz sedan, the driver looked at her and said she was “too big” for the ride and couldn’t fit in, and then continued to cancel her ride. Like, can you even imagine that? He even went on to say to her that she should book a ride with Lyft XL instead of the regular rides. And of course, Dajua felt embarrassed and kinda frustrated, but, the next day, she posted the video that she recorded of that incident on the internet, and it blew up. Millions of people watched that video, some supporting the driver, and some backing up Dajua. This whole thing went on and on, and then Dajua decided to sue Lyft, and that’s why we’re seeing this lawsuit in action.
So, Why And On What Basis Dank DeMoss Is Suing Lyft?
Well, now you know the backstory of this case, and what really happened with Dajua, right? But then, she went on to hire lawyers herself and sued Lyft, saying that the entire thing that happened to her was a clear violation of something called Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. And for those who have no idea of what it is, well, just know that this is a law that makes acts like discriminating against people based on race, religion, height, and weight, illegal.
Not just that though, her lawyers, namely Jonathan Marko and Zach Runyan, went on to say that it is actually the same thing as denying service to someone just because of the color of their skin or their religion.
Sure enough, Dajua went through emotional distress and humiliation after this incident, and it wasn’t easy for her. That’s why she is going after Lyft, so that she, or anybody of a plus size body doesn’t feel the same when they book their next ride with Lyft.
So, How Did Lyft Respond To All This So Far?
Well, right after this incident, Lyft actually went on to put out a statement, which said that they do not tolerate any kinda of discrimination and that all of their customers should be treated with respect, no matter what. That sounds good, doesn’t it? Hold on though! They even went on to say that yes, their drivers are actually independent contractors, which simply means they can make their own decision about, you know, who to pick up or not. So, in a way, they said that they didn’t have anything to do with this, and just blamed the drivers.
Okay, let’s assume that is the case, but in some cases like this one, they could have done something, like fired the driver, but nah, so far, they didn’t say whether they did anything about this driver or not. No clue about that for now. Though, one detail you should know is that they DID reach out to Dajua on her Instagram post saying that she can contact them for so-called “additional support.” According to many, it was just an empty response from Lfyt, while others are supporting the company saying that they will certainly do something about this case so that nothing like this happens to anybody else.
All In All, Who’s Right and Who’s Wrong?
Whenever something like this happens, we alway see people talking about who’s right and who’s wrong. And based on that, actually groups of people divide into two, and talk about the issue that way. This is something that happened in Dajua’s case as well, like, we saw so many people supporting her, whereas others went on to support the driver and Lyft company, saying that she actually couldn’t fit in that ride, that’s why he refused the ride.
One thing is pretty certain though, discrimination has happened here, whether you agree or not. It is not like Dajua could have lost all that weight on the spot and then taken the ride, so in a way, the driver discriminated against her, and even went on to embarrass her.
Like, we already told you, just as many people defended the driver. Why? Like, what is their argument after all? They say that it is a more practical issue because sedans have weight limits, and if the passenger is too large, they should be ordering a Lyft XL instead of the regular one. And if you think about it for a sec, you kinda feel the situation of the driver as well. Though, it is not like regular and plus size people are divided into two groups here, nah, some plus size people are also supporting the driver. They’re saying “I’m plus-size too, and I know there are some cars I have no business trying to squeeze into.” Which is understandable, no two ways about that.
So, What’s Next In This Case?
There is a higher possibility that Lyft will settle this case out of the courtroom walls by paying a settlement amount to Dajua Blanding, which can cool things down. But if this case goes on in the court, we’ll certainly get a conclusion soon, but that would be pretty interesting like who would the court and jury favor, and what reason they present for that.
