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Rapper Afroman Wins Defamation Lawsuit Over Use of Police Raid Footage In His Music Videos (billboard.com) 81

Posted by BeauHD from the keep-on-trolling dept.
Longtime Slashdot reader UnknowingFool writes: Rapper Afroman, born Joseph Edgar Foreman, famous for his 2000 hit "Because I Got High", has won a defamation lawsuit that seven Ohio police offers filed against him. A jury found he did not defame the officers in music videos he made about a 2022 police raid of his home. In August 2022, Adams County Sheriff's Department raided Afroman's home on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping. Neither drugs nor kidnapping victims were found, and charges were never filed. However, local officials would not pay for damages occurred during the raid including a broken front door and a video surveillance camera. Afroman used his home security footage of the raid to create music rap videos criticizing the police over the incident; "Will You Help Me Repair My Door?", "Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera?", and "Lemon Pound Cake". He posted the videos on YouTube.

In March 2023, seven officers filed a lawsuit against Afroman for invasion of privacy and the unauthorized use of their images from the security footage in addition to defamation claims. The officers requested an injunction for Afroman to stop speaking about them or using their photos. The officers also wanted all proceeds from the videos, song sales, performances, and merchandise claiming they had suffered "emotional distress" due to the videos. Afroman's defense included Freedom of Speech rights to criticize public officials. The ACLU filed an amicus brief supporting the rapper, arguing that the lawsuit was a SLAPP suit only meant to silence criticism. In October 2023, the court agreed and dismissed the invasion of privacy, "right of publicity", and "unauthorized use of individual's persona" claims but allowed the defamation case to proceed.

Defamation claims by the officers included the allegation Afroman repeatedly had sex with the wife of Randolph L. Walters, Jr. When Afroman's lawyer asked Walters "But we all know that's not true, right?", the officer replied he did not know. Defamation from emotional damages requires that harm arise from a false statement; however, if a statement is so outrageous that no one would believe it to be true, then reputational damage cannot be a result.
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Rapper Afroman Wins Defamation Lawsuit Over Use of Police Raid Footage In His Music Videos More

Rapper Afroman Wins Defamation Lawsuit Over Use of Police Raid Footage In His Music Videos

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  • So good (Score:3)

    by nwaack ( 3482871 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @04:09PM (#66050160)
    You can't make this stuff up. LOL at the wife thing!!!

    • Re:So good (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Locke2005 ( 849178 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @04:37PM (#66050192)
      Here's what I find hilarious: after he accused them of stealing $400 cash from his house, they said "Sorry, we miscounted", and GAVE HIM HIS $400 BACK! So effectively, they admitted to theft. Can't that be used as evidence against them int court?

      • Re:So good (Score:5, Informative)

        by machineghost ( 622031 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @04:39PM (#66050202)

        It should be, but remember that the Supreme Court gave police officers (essentially) full immunity from prosecution for anything they do on the job.

        Thanks Roberts court (the most corrupt in all modern history)!

        • Re:So good (Score:5, Insightful)

          by fjo3 ( 1399739 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @06:27PM (#66050418)

          It should be, but remember that the Supreme Court gave police officers (essentially) full immunity from prosecution for anything they do on the job.

          Thanks Roberts court (the most corrupt in all modern history)!

          Abolish qualified immunity!

          • How do you abolish something created entirely by the Supreme Court. There is no law to overturn.

          • Abolish qualified immunity!

            No way bro. If we are going to be breaking the rules of society, then EVERYONE should have qualified immunity. Let's see how that works for these fuckers.

        • Re:So good (Score:4, Informative)

          by fafalone ( 633739 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @11:25PM (#66050684)
          They did no such thing. Qualified immunity is for civil suits, not prosecution. It also dates back long before Roberts, and has been supported by liberal justices and opposed by Thomas. Immunity from criminal prosecution *is* something they also invented, but so far only applies to the President. The only thing stopping criminal prosecution of police is the unwillingness of prosecutors to file charges in most cases, especially for their conduct with suspects.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Trying to find the source again, but apparently some of the video includes them destroying video cameras, in an obvious attempt to cover up their actions. They just missed some.

        That should also be a crime.

        • Re:So good (Score:5, Insightful)

          by Locke2005 ( 849178 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @06:23PM (#66050394)
          His wife was recording them with her phone too. Note to self: learn how to hide cameras from cops. They make cheap fake cameras now, the fun thing to do would be to have a bunch of those for the cops to destroy, then they would go about their dirty business not realizing the real cameras are still recording them.

          • Re:So good (Score:5, Interesting)

            by Firethorn ( 177587 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @08:44PM (#66050562) Homepage Journal

            Real cameras are cheap enough today that mounting them, just not bothering to hook them up, might actually be cheaper.

            My favorite though is having them all hooked up, but having hidden cameras along with the obvious ones. Have the hidden cameras specifically watching the real cameras.
            Then pay the money and have a fat enough pipe to the internet for cloud storage (could even be a server you own elsewhere, to help avoid companies that bend over even without a warrant).
            It can result in some absolutely shocking/hilareous footage, like the time the cops arrested a major station news reporter, not realizing that the cameraman didn't shut the camera off and that they had been in the middle of a live broadcast. The cops didn't know how to shut the professional level camera off, and the station kept broadcasting the stream to the entire city.
            Even as they discussed how to fake up charges against the reporter and his crew.
            I think it took the governor calling the police chief to get them to release the reporter and drop all mention of charges before things got even worse for them.

            • You need to have them all wired (not wireless) with backups for power. Criminals use Wifi jammers and also turn off power at the breaker.

              • Remember, the context here was specifically cops (who in this case can also be criminals), who are less likely to be using jammers and shutting off breakers.

                I'd argue that your best option would be a mix of "all the above". Yes, having cameras that don't shut off just because power is turned off, or that can be stopped by jammers is best. But part of the idea is to lure any attackers (police and/or criminal) into a false sense of security. So them jamming the visible wifi cameras and missing the much mor

    • Was that the police officer couldn't say that everyone knows afroman isn't having sex with his wife because that would instantly invalidate the claims he was making so he had to just sit there on the stand and say that he didn't know whether Afro man was having sex with his wife or not.

      We'll work on his face was one of the best things to ever happen.

      • Re:My favorite thing about that (Score:5, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 19, 2026 @05:24PM (#66050276)

        We'll work on his face was one of the best things to ever happen.

        English, motherfucker. Do. You. Speak. It?

      • The problem for the officer was that being noncommittal also invalidates his claim. Defamation requires that the statement to be false, and the statement caused some sort of harm. If he does not know if the statement is false then statement could be true which is a defense for defamation. A false statement being so outrageous that it negates the harm was the logical legal result here. There may be cases where a known liar sues for defamation because he suffered reputational damage because one statement was

    • Re:So good (Score:4, Interesting)

      by haruchai ( 17472 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @09:19PM (#66050600)

      some of the cops turned into weepy snowflakes in court whining about how big bad Afroman had crushed their reputations & self-esteem

    • The cross examination of the police officer got a little heated as the officer was noncommittal about whether Afroman had sex with his wife.

      Afroman's lawyer Osborne: "You’re claiming that the defamation statement is that he said he had sex with your wife? We all know that’s not true, correct?”
      Walters:“I don’t know,”
      Osborne:“You don’t know if your wife is cheating on you or not?”
      Walters:“You want to go there? I’ve been with that wom

    • You can't make this stuff up.

      Unfortunately you can. The fact this made it into a courtroom is the most frightening part.

      The idea that one can release video coverage of what happens in one's own home and invade someone ELSE's privacy by doing that - it's frightening that survived a motion to dismiss as a matter of law.

      • Good point. I wonder if someone was playing a reverse Uno card. This sets case law for this kind of thing, whereas a summary judgement can be argued.

  • Justice for lemon pound cake! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @04:15PM (#66050168)
    It is legitimately frightening that there was the slightest chance that the courts would find in favor of the police in what would normally be an open and shut case of freedom of speech and the first amendment. But we've had decades of Court packing by incompetent and extremely right wing nut jobs so we can't really trust the courts anymore to uphold law.

    We probably should do something about that but hey how about those trans girls in sports?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by BeTeK ( 2035870 )
      Not sure what you saying? You mean we should not trust court because verdict was not guilty? I am confused.
    • > .. we've had decades of Court packing by incompetent and extremely right wing nut jobs ..

      Could you enumerate such right wing nut jobs and their erroneous rulings.
      • "Corporations are people, and money is speech" comes rather forcefully to mind.

      • Another commenter already mentioned "Citizens United", but in the vein of money in politics, I'll tack on "FEC v. Ted Cruz". In 2024 the court decided that candidates can raise money after they're already been elected to repay an unlimited loan that they've given to their own campaign (with interest).

        On voting rights, my favorite is "Rucho v. Common Cause", which gave the greenlight for partisan gerrymandering.

    • Bonus, this is case law now and carries more weight in arguments.

  • He won the defamation lawsuit... (Score:5, Funny)

    by pahles ( 701275 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @04:29PM (#66050186)
    and then he got high!
    • How would you celebrate beating the fat lazy cops in court?

      • How would you celebrate beating the fat lazy cops in court?

        Just to be clear, cop-beating is not okay, in court or out. Unless it's consensual.

        • Just to be clear, cop-beating is not okay, in court or out. Unless it's consensual.

          Which it probably is - they are so violent because they're looking for a bit of loving reciprocation.

        • Like that cops wife. lol. Man, I like cops and all, but they did him dirty and they needed to be criticized for it. It was a BS raid with no justification.
          • I believe most cops originally go into the profession because of a sincere desire to help people. But after dealing with people at their worst for several years, they get jaded, and start viewing everybody as a criminal. It's not a profession I'd go into, because the Alaska State Trooper I grew up running away from in my small town transferred to the California Highway Patrol... and was murdered during a routine traffic stop within a few weeks. There should be some penalty for lying to get warrants, other t

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by tragedy ( 27079 )

              I believe most cops originally go into the profession because of a sincere desire to help people.

              The people I have known who became police officers all expressed a desire to drive fast with impunity, generally engage in exciting action, and some of them also an occasional explicit desire to hurt, shoot, or kill people (bear in mind that I am not saying they are psychos, sentiments like that are very common in adolescent males). None of them expressed any particular desire to help people that I'm aware of, or really seemed so inclined. Of course, none of them were friends who shared their deep personal

              • And, as we know, the people who go in end up being a spectrum of those beliefs. Your post and the previous post delineate the range well.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by aitikin ( 909209 )

      and then he got high!

      Damn you! (truly, I blame myself) I should've seen that coming, but didn't.

      Damn you.

  • nice typo (Score:3)

    by weirdow ( 9298 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @04:37PM (#66050196) Homepage

    in the summary :

    ...seven Ohio police offers...

  • Only in rural Ohio (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Himmy32 ( 650060 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @04:59PM (#66050222)

    The whole saga is just wild. Spent only a little time watching but from what I could gather it had everything I would expect out of a rural Ohio LEO run-in with a rapper:

    • Missing money without investigation
    • Videos from "the informant" that lead to the wild goose chase kidnapping raid then accusing the officers of drug fueled sexual encounters after conviction for other crimes
    • A convicted pedophile officer whose sibling can't identify what they were convicted of under oath
    • Hiring adult film workers to parody a straight and cisgendered officer as lesbian and transgender in very graphic poses
    • Selling Hunchback of Notre Dame style merch of an officer who is ignorant of the character
    • Divorce / infidelity sagas
    • Unhinged incompetent depositions / testimonies that completely undermine the case.
    • And Mama's lemon pound cake.

    • Don’t forget the outfit Afroman wore in court.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Himmy32 ( 650060 )
        How could I forget the flag suit also used to march to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic complete with sexual thrusts, sex tape clips, and AI generated clips of officers with rat tails...

    • Unless 'The police must break the law' is also a law, why don't we all stop calling them LEOs?

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by colfer ( 619105 )

      First off, Afroman is amazing.

      Adams County is in an Appalachian part of Ohio, along the Ohio River between Cincinnati and West Virginia. I was there during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, and it was very depressed compared to where I came from. Very, as in I had to go to Kentucky to get a hotel room. Kentucky in that area had benefited from a lot of federal economic development money, and the small Amtrak city I stayed in, while certainly not Aspen, was doing okay, with a functioning newspaper larger than

  • In March 2023, seven officers filed a lawsuit against Afroman for invasion of privacy and the unauthorized use of their images from the security footage...

    Police keeping the bar low: "invasion of privacy" when videoing them breaking into his house lol.

    They're practically recruiting people to the side opposite that occupied by the police (not really the good guys are they?)

    Perhaps Afroman could offer a service to the community where he has your house wired with a surveillance system of the quality needed to

    • Perhaps Afroman could offer a service to the community where he has your house wired with a surveillance system of the quality needed to make music videos (which is also tamper-proof) then creates a bespoke music video for each state-sponsored home invasion and uses his network to promote the video.

      I like that idea. Maybe he could partner with Ring?

      • Yep, he could install ring cameras inside the house as well the exterior and then they could sell access to the police as usual then the police could scope-out the room layout prior to forced entry to ensure the cameras catch their best side and the homeowner can get some nice footage of the approach to the entry. Full circle - everyone wins.

  • A missing link (Score:3)

    by Zero__Kelvin ( 151819 ) on Thursday March 19, 2026 @08:54PM (#66050578) Homepage
    The article doesn't link to a particularly hilarious video, to wit Licc'em Low Lisa [youtube.com]. ROTFLMA I only knew about "Because I Got High" before today, but congratulations Adams County / Ohio Sheriffs for having no clue how the Streisand Effect works! Snoop on to them, as they snoop on to us!
    • There was so much from this case that was left out as the summary would be very long. From what I can tell, the subject of "Lemon Pound Cake” sued for suffering because people call him "Officer Poundcake" now. Well if people did not know about that before, they know about it now. The subject of the song video was the officer, during the raid, with his gun drawn, stared a little too long at a lemon pound cake on the kitchen counter.
      • There is a lot more to the case. There are 6 plaintiffs. One was "Office Pouncake". Another was an office that said people might believe Afroman was having sex with his wife. Another was Office Lisa, featured in this video. The entire 13 minute video I linked to was played in court at the trial. It features deposition footage at the end where the "Officer" cries that she doesn't really have a dick. The link I provide is very funny, and 100% related to the case.
        • The officer (Walters) that was upset that Afroman did or did not have sex with his wife was also upset that Afroman called him a "son of a bitch". When asked by Afroman's lawyer about whether that expression was an opinion rather than a matter of fact, his response was “She’s been dead for years."

    • I wasn't aware of the background for this. I appreciated Lt. Lisa's epilog.

  • Jordan Klepper (Daily Show) has a hilarious take on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

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