Afroman wins a civil trial against seven Ohio sheriff’s deputies who sued him for putting them in a his music videos after they raided his home in 2022.
According a WCPO report, published on Wednesday (March 18), Afroman was victorious in a civil trial by seven sheriffs in Adams County, Ohio, who sued the “Because I Got High” rapper for defamation after he put them in several music videos mocking them after they raided his home in August of 2022. A jury found him not guilty of defaming the Ohio officers.
Afroman used surveillance footage from inside his home in several music videos, often making fun of them like in the doo-wop-inspired visual for “Lemon Pound Cake” where the rhymer mocks one of the deputies eyeing a lemon pound cake on the table during the raid. The sheriff’s deputies claimed those videos, which have garnered millions of views on YouTube, have caused great harm to their reputation.
After the verdict, Afroman gave an emotional speech to reporters outside the courtroom. The 51-year-old artist said his win wasn’t about him but rather the importance of the First Amendment.
“I didn’t win,” he declared. “America won. America still has freedom of speech. It’s still for the people by the people.”
In August of 2022, the Adams County Sheriff’s Department in Ohio executed a search warrant on Afroman’s home for suspicion of drugs and kidnapping. However, authorities did not file any charges after searching the residence. Afroman later posted surveillance footage of the raid on social media and incorporated it into his music videos to help cover the costs of damages he claimed the officers caused while moving through his house. The rapper maintained during the trial that the entire situation was due to the police’s unjust raid of his home.
“The sheriff was never supposed to raid my house in the first place,” he testified. “The whole raid was a mistake…All of this is their fault. If they hadn’t wrongly raided my house, there would be no lawsuit, I would not know their names, they wouldn’t be on my home surveillance system and there would be no songs.”
During the three-day trial, Afroman wore a custom-made American flag suit with matching sunglasses.
“I am the American dream,” he said of his outfit. “This suit stands for freedom of speech and the American dream. Amen. Praise God.”
Despite his legal issues with local police, Afroman said that he will remain a resident of Adams County.
See WCPO 9’s News Report: Hear from Afroman After the Verdict in His Civil Trial
See Afroman’s Verdict Win in Civil Trial Against Ohio Police
See Deputy Testimony Explaining How Afroman Singing About Sleeping with His Wife Has Caused Him “Tremendous Pain”
See Afroman’s Music Video for “Randy Walters Is a Son of a Bi**h”
See Afroman’s Music Video for “Lemon Pound Cake”
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