Rapper Afroman wins lawsuit against Ohio police over mocking their raid of his home in viral music videos

The Grammy-nominated rapper Afroman received a defamation lawsuit filed by seven Ohio sheriff’s deputies who sued him over music movies wherein he used house safety footage to mock their raid of his house.

“We did it, America! Yeah, we did it! Freedom of speech! Proper on! Proper on!” the 51-year-old rapper, born Joseph Foreman, shouted outdoors the courthouse after the Wednesday night verdict. He later posted the clip to social media.

The case examined the bounds of parody and the license artists can absorb social commentary directed at public figures. The deputies, collectively, sought practically $4 million in damages.

“No cheap individual would anticipate a police officer to not be criticized. They have been known as names earlier than,” protection lawyer David Osborne mentioned in closing arguments for the rapper and comic, identified for his breakout 2000 hit, “As a result of I Obtained Excessive.”

The Adams County deputies mentioned they have been publicly harassed over the viral movies, which have been seen greater than 3 million instances on YouTube. The movies present rifle-wielding deputies busting down Afroman’s door, looking his sneakers and swimsuit pockets, and hungrily eyeing a cake on the kitchen desk, inspiring one track’s title, “Lemon Pound Cake.”

In different music movies, Afroman took intention on the deputies’ private lives and known as them “crooked cops” due to $400 that went lacking within the raid.

“Law enforcement officials should not be stealing civilians’ cash,” the rapper testified this week. “This entire factor is an outrage.”

In courtroom — sporting a crimson, white and blue American flag swimsuit — he defended his work on First Modification grounds and mentioned he issued the diss tracks to cowl damages from the raid, together with a damaged gate and entrance door.

“In all circumstances, the jury finds in favor of the defendant; no plaintiff verdict prevailed,” mentioned Choose Jonathan Hein, who presided over the case, CBS affiliate WKRC-TV reported.

Afroman cried after the decision was introduced, the station reported.

No expenses have been filed over the 2022 raid, which the warrant mentioned was a part of a drug and kidnapping investigation. In his testimony, he mentioned he had the correct to inform his pals and followers what police had carried out. He mentioned the raid traumatized his kids, then 10 and 12.

Afroman was not at his house through the search, however his spouse was current and recorded components of the search on her telephone.

Videos posted by Afroman on social media confirmed police breaking down his door as they entered the house wielding weapons. 

“The entire raid was a mistake. All of that is their fault. In the event that they hadn’t have wrongly raided my home, there could be no lawsuit. I might not know their names,” Foreman mentioned. “They would not be on my house surveillance system, and there could be no songs, nothing.”

The lyrics of “Will You Assist Me Restore My Door?” deal with the police immediately: “Did you discover what you have been on the lookout for/ Would you want a slice of lemon pound cake/ You may take as a lot as you wish to take/ There should be a giant mistake.”

The video slows down, exhibiting an officer holding a gun next to a cake stand in Afroman’s kitchen.

Then he raps: “The warrant mentioned, ‘Narcotics and kidnapping’/ Are you kidding? I make my cash rapping,” and “You crooked cops have to cease it/ There aren’t any kidnapping victims in my swimsuit pockets,” as a video exhibits the officers looking his closet.

The deputies, of their testimony, mentioned the songs ridiculed them. Deputy Lisa Phillips mentioned the rapper created a “derogatory” music video that questioned her gender and sexuality.

Sgt. Randy Walters mentioned his little one had been hazed at college over Afroman’s posts and got here house crying.

“The place on the planet is it OK to make one thing up for enjoyable that is damaging to others when you already know for positive it is an absolute lie?” he requested.

Afroman’s lawyer, in closing arguments, mentioned it was common for artists engaged in social commentary to magnify. Robert Klingler, representing the deputies, mentioned Afroman lied about “these seven courageous deputy sheriffs” for the previous three years.

“Even when anyone does one thing to you that hurts you, that you simply assume is mistaken — like a search warrant execution that you simply assume is unfair … that does not justify telling intentional lies designed to harm individuals,” he argued.

Afroman lives in Winchester, about 50 miles outdoors of Cincinnati.