Afroman has won the defamation lawsuit filed against him by seven Ohio sheriff’s deputies. The officers were suing him over music videos in which he ridiculed them mercilessly.
“It’s not only for artists. It’s for Americans,” the 51-year-old rapper (real name: Joseph Foreman) told CBS News. “We have freedom of speech. They … did me wrong and sued me because I was talking about it.”
“It’s for the people, by the people,” he added. “So when the people can’t use their freedom of speech, bring up the problem, address the problem, take care of the problem, then the problem never gets solved.”
The Grammy-nominated rapper didn’t just choose any random cops to pick on. These officers were part of the infamous raid on his home back in 2022. Ultimately, they did not uncover the evidence for the claims they’d used to justify the raid, but Afroman’s security camera caught it all.
Subsequently, Afroman and the Adams County Sheriff’s Department disagreed about what happened, including allegations of unethical behavior captured on Afroman’s home security cameras. Not one to walk away from a fight, Afroman wrote a bunch of songs about the deputies and made music videos. All of which, objectively speaking, are hilarious.
In response, the deputies brought a defamation lawsuit against Afroman. Collectively, they sought nearly $4 million in damages. After just a few days of trial, the jury returned a full verdict in favor of Foreman. This clears him of any civil damages against the officers.
“No reasonable person would expect a police officer not to be criticized. They’ve been called names before,” Afroman’s defense lawyer, David Osborne, said in closing arguments.
No charges were filed in connection with the 2022 raid on Afroman’s home
The Adams County deputies claim that they have been publicly harassed because of Afroman’s songs with titles such as “Licc’em Low Lisa” and “RANDY WALTERS IS A SON OF A B****“. The music videos have been viewed millions of times on YouTube and took things even further. In addition to parodying the deputies’ lives, the series also features Afroman’s personal security cam footage from the night of the raid, as well as other public images and footage from the deputies’ lives.
“Police officers shouldn’t be stealing civilians’ money,” the rapper testified this week, referring to an alleged $400 that was stolen from him during the raid. “This whole thing is an outrage.”
Handing down the verdict, presiding Judge Jonathan Hein said, “In all circumstances, the jury finds in favor of the defendant; no plaintiff verdict prevailed.” Afterward, Afroman cried and took to the streets outside the courthouse to celebrate his victory. “We did it, America! Yeah, we did it!” he cheered. “Freedom of speech! Right on! Right on!”
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