Afroman found not liable in Adams County

By Ryan Applegate
The People’s Defender
West Union

The civil trial between rapper Joseph “Afroman” Foreman and seven members of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office moved into its first phase this week as attorneys began selecting a jury to hear a case that has drawn statewide attention. 

Foreman arrived at the Adams County Courthouse in West Union to greet supporters before stepping inside to confront allegations that he used deputies’ likenesses without permission after a 2022 raid on his Winchester home. 

The deputies claim the resulting music video and online posts exposed them to humiliation and threats. 

Foreman and his legal team, led by David Osborne Jr., say the case raises important questions about free speech.

According to publicly available information, the lawsuit stems from an Aug. 21, 2022, raid in which deputies executed a search warrant on Foreman’s property. Video that Foreman later shared on Instagram appeared to show officers breaking down a door and entering the house with rifles raised. 

That same video later formed the basis of the music video for his song “Lemon Pound Cake,” which spread quickly across the internet and brought significant attention to the incident.

Foreman has said previously that the raid resulted in considerable damage throughout his home. He has also previously stated that deputies disconnected his security cameras while conducting the search. 

According to an outside investigation conducted by Clermont County at the request of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, no money was stolen during the operation, though Foreman has said that approximately $400 was missing when his seized cash was returned. Investigators attributed the discrepancy to a miscount. 

No criminal charges were filed against Foreman after the search.

The deputies who conducted the raid later filed suit in Adams County Common Pleas Court alleging that their images were used in Foreman’s video and online posts without consent. They argue that the footage subjected them to ridicule and exposed them to online threats from viewers who saw the viral content. These concerns form the basis of the claims now being heard by a local jury.

After court deliberations this week, the jury found that Afroman did not defame deputies in a satirical music video that featured footage of them raiding the rapper’s house.

The 51-year-old “Because I Got High” rapper, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, held up his hands in triumph and hugged people in the courtroom after he was found not liable for defamation, or invasion of privacy false light publicity.

Thanks to Ryan Applegate and The People’s Defender.