Ohio Jury Rejects Deputies’ Defamation Suit Over Afroman Raid Videos

A jury in Ohio ruled in favor of rapper Joseph "Afroman" Foreman on Wednesday, rejecting a defamation lawsuit brought by seven Adams County sheriff’s deputies over music videos that mocked a 2022 raid on his home using his own security footage. The deputies had sought nearly $4 million, claiming the viral videos — viewed more than 3 million times on YouTube and including songs like "Lemon Pound Cake" and "Will You Help Me Repair My Door?" — subjected them to harassment and false accusations, including being labeled "crooked cops" after $400 allegedly went missing. Wearing a red, white and blue suit, Afroman testified that the raid traumatized his children, damaged his property, and that he used the videos as social commentary and to recoup his losses, arguing his speech was protected by the First Amendment. Judge Jonathan Hein announced that "in all circumstances" the jury found for Afroman and against every plaintiff, a result that civil-liberties advocates online are already touting as a win for the right to parody and criticize law enforcement using lawfully obtained images. Deputies testified that the songs ridiculed their appearance, gender and sexuality and led to school hazing of at least one officer’s child, raising ongoing questions about where courts will draw the line between protected mockery of public officials and defamation.