CINCINNATI (WKRC) – Afroman is headed to court in an unusual lawsuit filed by Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies over a music video that uses surveillance footage from a raid on his home.
The video is for Afroman’s 2023 song Lemon Pound Cake. The rapper, whose legal name is Joseph Foreman, allowed Local 12 to excerpt scenes from the video. The footage shows deputies serving a search warrant at his home while searching for marijuana after what they said was a tip from a confidential informant. Deputies found no illegal material, and Afroman was not charged with a crime.
Foreman said he created the song and video to recover losses after deputies broke his front gate and caused other damage while searching the property.
Afroman is headed to court in an unusual lawsuit filed by Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies over a music video that uses surveillance footage from a raid on his home. (WKRC, Provided)
“I’m being a sport. I’m singing a humorous song about a man taking too many glances at my mom’s lemon pound cake. And he’s up in arms in court suing me about this. Uh, these, these are not sports,” Afroman said.
Deputies Michael Estep, Shawn Cooley and Austin Cooley filed the lawsuit after the video went viral. They say the video and related publicity subjected them to ridicule, mental distress and danger, including anonymous death threats. They also accuse Afroman of making false statements.
Afroman said he titled the song “Lemon Pound Cake” because he believes the camera shows one deputy looking at a cake his mother made that was sitting on the kitchen counter.
“If they hadn’t have been on my property, they wouldn’t be part of songs. And if anybody should be getting some money, it should be me for them vandalizing my house and stealing my money,” Afroman said.
Afroman said he plans to attend every day of the civil trial, which begins next week, and described the case as a First Amendment free speech issue.
Afroman is headed to court in an unusual lawsuit filed by Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies over a music video that uses surveillance footage from a raid on his home. (Provided)
“I figured like every American that I have freedom of speech. So, with that freedom of speech, I wrote songs about my experience, hoping to raise money to pay for the damages they done to my property,” Afroman said.
An attorney representing the deputies did not return messages seeking comment. The case is scheduled to go to trial Tuesday in Adams County Common Pleas Court.
The lawsuit is similar to a case previously reported in Cincinnati. In 2020, Ryan Olthaus sued several residents for defamation over social media posts following a protest at City Hall after the death of George Floyd.
Olthaus initially sought to remain anonymous, but the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled against that request. A judge later dismissed the case in 2023, finding the posts were protected by free speech or did not show actual malice.