Afroman Triumphs in Defamation Case Against Ohio Law Enforcement
Jurors ruled in favor of rapper Afroman, also known as Joseph Foreman, in a defamation lawsuit filed by several Ohio deputies who sought $3.9 million in damages. The case stemmed from Afroman's musical interpretations of a 2022 raid on his home by Adams County sheriff’s deputies.
The deputies claimed defamation after Afroman transformed the incident into songs and music videos, including tracks like “Lemon Pound Cake,” “Will You Help Me Repair My Door,” and the controversial “Licc’em Low Lisa,” named after one of the officers involved.
Authorities executed the raid under suspicions of drug trafficking and kidnapping, drawing their weapons and seizing over $5,000 in cash and other items. Ultimately, no charges were filed against Afroman following the incident.
“I got freedom of speech. After they run around my house with guns and kick down my door, I got the right to kick a can in my backyard, use my freedom of speech, and turn my bad times into a good time, yes I do,” Afroman stated during the trial, as reported by Billboard. “And I think I’m a sport for doing so, because I don’t go to their house, kick down their doors [and] then try to play the victim and sue them.”
The officers involved—Lisa Phillips, Shawn D. Cooley, Justin Cooley, Michael D. Estep, Shawn S. Grooms, Brian Newland, and Randolph L. Walters, Jr.—asserted that they faced “threats, including death threats” and “emotional distress” due to Afroman’s music and videos.
In a supportive brief from the American Civil Liberties Union in 2023, the lawsuit was described as “nothing short of absurd.”
“This case is a classic entry into the SLAPP suit genre: a meritless effort to use a lawsuit to silence criticism. And not just any criticism, but criticism specifically of government actors,” the brief elaborated. “Plaintiffs do not identify the substance of any particular statement in the videos—or for that matter, anywhere else—that they claim is false. Instead, the central focus of their complaint is that Mr. Foreman is making money off of his video commentary and related merchandise while harshly criticizing Plaintiffs. That is not tortious conduct; it is protected speech.”
Despite the legal challenges, Afroman remains undeterred. He recently released “BATTERAM HYMN OF THE POLICE WHISTLE BLOWER,” continuing to address and satirize the raid through his music.
