Through her position as head of Foe Sho Doe Records she earned a well-known status by expressing herself proudly and actively opposing conventional social standards.
A recent incident made her both stunned and motivated her to proceed with legal measures.
On a chilly night in January 2025 Blanding used the well-known Lyfe application to obtain a ride to a Detroit Lions party.
Blanding was expecting an easy experience yet found herself involved in a viral scandal at the vehicle destination point.
When Blanding walked toward the Mercedes-Benz sedan driver he found the person locking the doors and starting to drive away.
She looked for an explanation from the driver about his departure which led to his surprising declaration.
The driver told Blanding her size was a problem for backseat seating capacity because his car was tight.
He told her there was no available space because his vehicle size was small.
Blanding responded steadfastly because she believed she could easily fit into the vehicle.
Although she tried to convince him otherwise the driver continued to deny her entry by saying “No, believe me, you can’t, so…” I’m sorry.”
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When she became angrier Blanding wanted to know what would happen to the payment she gave for the ride.
The driver planned to reject the booking because he wanted to refund her payment.
She directly asked him about the reason but received a definite answer.
The driver advised Blanding to order a Lyft XL because the vehicle size was not sufficient for her.
The driver increased confusion when he pointed out that his tires were “very tired” while he blamed worn-out tires as another reason for not completing the ride.
Blanding captured the encounter through video and published it on Instagram after she experienced humiliation and discrimination.
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The video spread rapidly throughout social networks which caused people to debate vigorously about discrimination against weight alongside a lack of proper treatment in shared transportation services.
The incident prompted Blanding to explain to Fox 2 Detroit that he has ridden in vehicles smaller than the one that rejected him. I only need them to understand the negative impact this created on how I felt.
The simple quest for transportation has developed into a formal legal dispute.
Lawyers currently represent Blanding while she files a discriminatory lawsuit against Lyft due to weight-based treatment.
Jonathan Marko explained to the media that the legal implications of this situation align with weight discrimination and other forms of similar bias.
According to him, he understood that what he did violated the law and went against all morality.
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The scenario would match exactly when a driver examines their passengers and refuses specific religious groups or racial identities.
According to Marko the legal principle remains identical because the weight discrimination protection applies equally in Michigan.
The United States has not established any other state laws that protect people against weight-based discrimination like Michigan does.
Lyft made a public response to counter the complaints Blanding raised with her attorneys.
The company issued a statement to Fox 2 Detroit demonstrating their promise to provide equal services without discrimination toward passengers.
The company declared firm opposition to all types of discrimination through an official spokesperson.
Our belief goes towards an equal community in which members treat each other with mutual respect along with kindness.
Credit: (Instagram/@dankdemoss)
The statement made clear that our service agreements alongside the community policies include specific rules that ban harassment and discrimination.
During this ongoing legal proceeding weight bias alongside accessibility issues within ride-sharing services have garnered new public attention.
Through his experience Blanding forces people to recognize the obstacles that many individuals encounter when trying to obtain simple transportation.
Lyft currently faces widespread analysis because of its viral incident along with an active lawsuit
Feature Image Credit: (Instagram/@dankdemoss)