Afroman was found not liable in a defamation lawsuit filed by seven Adams County sheriff's deputies
NEED TO KNOW
The rapper released a satirical song and used footage of a 2022 police raid on his Ohio home in the music video
Afroman says the song was a peaceful way to address the raid and raise money for property damages
Afromanis celebrating after a jury ruled in his favor in thedefamation lawsuitfiled by seven officers from the Adams County Sheriff Department.
The 51-year-old rapper, best known for his hit "Because I Got High," spoke out onCBS Morningsafter he was found not liable on any of the 13 claims made by the deputies.
"[My victory], it's not only for artists, it's for Americans," he shared on Thursday, March 19. "We have freedom of speech. They did me wrong and sued me because I was talking about it. It's 'for the people, by the people,' so when the people can't use their freedom of speech — bring up the problem, address the problem — then the problem never gets solved."
He also took to Instagram after the ruling, celebrating outside of the Ohio courtroom on Wednesday.
"We did it, America! Yeah, we did it!" Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, cheered along with fans in the clip. "Freedom of Speech! Right on, right on! God bless America. Power to the people!"
In 2022, Adams County sheriffs raided Afroman's Adams County home, breaking down a door and causing property damage and holding his children, then 10 and 12, at gunpoint. Afroman later released the satirical song "Lemon Pound Cake" set to the tune of "(Sittin' on the) Dock of the Bay."
"The Adams County Sheriff kicked down my door, then I heard the glass break," he sang. "They found no kidnapping victims, just some lemon pound cake. Mama's lemon pound cake, it tastes so nice, it made the sheriff wanna put down his gun and cut him a slice."
In the music video, which Afroman released on Dec. 2022, he shared surveillance footage of the Adams County sheriffs searching his home. In 2023 seven officers with the sheriff's office sued Afroman for the music video, saying it defamed them and was an intentional infliction of emotional distress. They demanded $3.9 million in damages.
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"I posted it because the sheriffs never were supposed to have raided my house in the first place,"Afroman testifiedon March 18. "If they hadn't wrongly raided my house, there would be no lawsuit. I wouldn't know their names. They wouldn't be on my home surveillance system and there would be no songs, my money would still be intact, nothing, so all of this is their fault."
He further claimed that he released the song as a way to raise money to pay off the damages the officers inflicted on his home.
"Tearing down my door, not paying for it, not being apologetic, me being a sport, doing something peaceful to raise the money to pay for their damages, me having freedom of speech as an American to talk to my family, friends and fans about what the sheriffs did to my home, yes, I have the right to my freedom of speech," he added in his testimony. "After they left, I had the right to kick the can and to do what I had to do to repair the damage they brought to my house, yes, I did."
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Afroman has continued to post videos naming the officers involved and making a series of claims about them and their personal lives.
The attorney representing the officers, Robert Klingler, condemned the rapper, claiming he lied about "these seven brave deputy sheriffs," per theAssociated Press.
"Even if somebody does something to you that hurts you, that you think is wrong — like a search warrant execution that you think is unfair ... that doesn't justify telling intentional lies designed to hurt people," he argued.
PEOPLE reached out to Klingler for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
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