Afroman has won a defamation lawsuit brought by seven Ohio sheriff’s deputies who sued the Grammy-nominated rapper over music videos mocking their 2022 raid of his home, a jury decided Thursday. The rapper, whose legal name is Joseph Foreman, celebrated the verdict outside the courthouse, shouting, “We did it, America! Yeah, we did it! Freedom of speech! Right on! Right on!” and posting a video of the outburst to social media.
The deputies had collectively sought nearly $4 million in damages, alleging they were publicly harassed as a result of the viral videos. The case centered on the limits of parody and artistic license in social commentary directed at public figures. The videos in question feature footage from the August 2022 raid, during which Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies kicked down Afroman’s door, searched his belongings, and appeared to briefly focus on a cake in his kitchen – inspiring the song “Lemon Pound Cake.”
Afroman testified that the raid, conducted under a warrant for a drug and kidnapping investigation that yielded no charges, traumatized his children, then aged 10 and 12. He stated he created the music videos to cover damages from the raid, including a broken gate and front door. “The whole raid was a mistake. All of this is their fault. If they hadn’t have wrongly raided my house, there would be no lawsuit. I would not know their names,” Foreman said in court. “They wouldn’t be on my home surveillance system, and there would be no songs, nothing.”
The rapper’s defense lawyer, David Osborne, argued in closing statements that “no reasonable person would expect a police officer not to be criticized.” Afroman’s songs also addressed allegations that $400 in cash went missing during the raid, with lyrics calling the deputies “crooked cops.” “Police officers shouldn’t be stealing civilians’ money,” Afroman testified.
During the trial, Deputy Lisa Phillips testified that the rapper created a “derogatory” music video that questioned her gender and sexuality. Sgt. Randy Walters said his child had been hazed at school over Afroman’s posts and came home crying, asking, “Where in the world is it OK to make something up for fun that’s damaging to others when you know for sure it’s an absolute lie?”
Afroman’s lawyer argued that exaggeration is common in social commentary. Robert Klingler, representing the deputies, countered that Afroman intentionally lied about the officers for three years. “Even if somebody does something to you that hurts you, that you reckon is wrong — like a search warrant execution that you think is unfair … That doesn’t justify telling intentional lies designed to hurt people,” he argued.
Afroman, who lives in Winchester, Ohio, approximately 80 kilometers outside of Cincinnati, had previously told NPR in 2023 that he was seeking “the smartest, most peaceful solution” to address the raid. The outcome of the case is expected to be closely watched for its implications regarding freedom of speech and the boundaries of parody.
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