*Rapper Afroman has prevailed in a defamation lawsuit introduced towards him by seven Adams County, Ohio sheriff’s deputies, marking a major First Modification victory for the 51-year-old artist.
The deputies filed the go well with after Afroman, born Joseph Foreman, used residence safety footage from a 2022 raid of his property to create a sequence of music movies that mocked legislation enforcement. The footage captured armed deputies forcing their method by way of his entrance door, rifling by way of his private belongings, and pausing close to a cake sitting on the kitchen desk — a picture that gave the tune “Lemon Pound Cake” its title. In line with CBS Information, the movies drew greater than 3 million views on YouTube, and the deputies collectively sought practically $4 million in damages, claiming the content material led to public harassment and private humiliation.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Division carried out the search as a part of an investigation into narcotics and kidnapping allegations, however deputies left with out making any arrests or seizing any proof of wrongdoing. Afroman was in Chicago on the time, although his spouse was residence and recorded parts of the raid on her cellphone. He later testified that the raid traumatized his kids, who had been 10 and 12 on the time, and that he had each proper to tell his followers about what had occurred. He additionally claimed that deputies stole $400 from his property through the search and initially refused to return it.
In court docket, the Grammy-nominated artist argued his music movies had been protected beneath the First Modification. His protection lawyer, David Osborne, instructed the jury throughout closing arguments, “No cheap individual would count on a police officer to not be criticized. They’ve been referred to as names earlier than.”
Choose Jonathan Hein delivered a clear sweep for the protection, stating, “In all circumstances, the jury finds in favor of the defendant; no plaintiff verdict prevailed.”
Exterior the courthouse, Afroman, flanked by supporters, shouted: “We did it, America! Yeah, we did it! Freedom of speech! Proper on! Proper on!”.
Chatting with CBS Information, Afroman framed the win as greater than himself. “It’s not just for artists. It’s for Individuals,” he mentioned. “We’ve got freedom of speech. They … did me flawed and sued me as a result of I used to be speaking about it.”
He added, “It’s for the individuals, by the individuals. So when the individuals can’t use their freedom of speech, convey up the issue, tackle the issue, handle the issue, then the issue by no means will get solved.”
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