Overview

Dank Demoss' Lyft Lawsuit is a discrimination lawsuit filed by Detroit-based rapper Dank Demoss, real name Dajua Blanding, against the ride-share service Lyft after a driver refused to pick her up, believing she wouldn't fit in the car. On January 19th, 2025, Demoss posted a video of her interaction with the Lyft driver, in which he refused to accept her into the car because he claimed the car was too small and the tires wouldn't take her weight. Reportedly, Demoss weighed about 489 pounds. News of the lawsuit broke on January 28th, 2025, and sparked discourse and memes online, with many making fun of Demoss' obesity and the lawsuit in general.

Background

On January 19th, 2025, Detroit rapper Dank Demoss posted a video to Instagram^[1] of a negative interaction with a Lyft driver. In the video, Demoss talks with the driver, who has just refused to pick her up in his car over fears that she is too heavy for the vehicle. He suggests she order an Uber XL and claims he will refund her.

As the video continues, he mentions that the back of the car is "too small" and mentions that his tires won't handle her weight. She argues that she fits in a smaller car of her friend's and tries to goad him into specifying why he thinks she won't fit in the car. The video gained over 7,500 likes in a week.

The video garnered viral spread in the days following. For example, on January 27th it was posted to the subreddit /r/publicfreakout,^[5] garnering over 11,000 upvotes in a day.

Developments

Discrimination Lawsuit

On January 28th, 2025, Fox 2 Detroit^[2] reported that Demoss had filed a discrimination lawsuit against Lyft over the driver's refusal to take her. The article claims that Demoss was trying to go to a Detroit Lions watch party at the time she was refused. Demoss is suing with attorneys Jonathan Marko and Zach Runyan.

According to the article, they believe they can win because "weight is a protected characteristic in Michigan" and that "denying someone a ride based on their weight would be the same as denying someone because of their race or religion – at least under the law."

Fox 2 Detroit^[3] posted a video to YouTube that day, in which the local news station talked with Demoss about the incident. In the video, she insists she's been in smaller cars, calling the "tires" claim a "slap in the face."

Online Reactions

The lawsuit inspired widespread reactions and discourse across social media, including memes making fun of Demoss' weight.

For example, on January 28th, 2025, X^[4] user @grandoldmemes posted an edit and Become Ungovernable meme of Demoss captioned "become unlyftable," garnering over 32,000 likes in under a day.

That same day, X^[6] user @Real_Comfyfren posted a photo of a Lyft-branded truck, writing, "In response to a lawsuit, Lyft has updated its fleet to cater to obese black women," garnering over 1,200 likes in under a day.

Later on January 28th, a post about the lawsuit was made to /r/facepalm,^[7] titled, "Even if she's in the right, how is that lawsuit worth millions?" garnering over 4,500 upvotes in under a day.

Also on January 28th, 2025, X^[8] user @ImMeme0 made a critical post about the lawsuit, writing, "Lyft driver refused this woman a ride because his vehicle was too small for her oversized body. Now she is suing. This is what happens when the media normalizes obesity. She should have gone to the gym, not the lawyer’s office," garnering over 12,000 likes in under a day.

X^[9] user @grandoldmemes posted a meme that same day imagining the Lyft driver as RFK Jr., due to his desire to make Americans eat and live healthier, garnering over 5,000 likes in under a day.

Search Interest

External References