Afroman is reportedly being sued by seven members of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio. The officers raided the political activist and rapper’s home in August 2022.
They’ve since alleged that he “used surveillance video of the raid for multiple commercial purposes,” as reported by WCPO.
RELATED: Afroman’s House Raided By Ohio Police As They Reportedly Searched For Drugs At “Because I Got High” Rapper’s Home
Rapper Afroman's Ohio home raided by Adams County Sheriff's Office https://t.co/Q1tOVzneq6
— WCPO 9 (@WCPO) August 24, 2022
The Aftermath Of The Police’s 2022 Raid On Afroman’s Home
According to WCPO, a search warrant was served at Afroman’s home on August 21, 2022, around 8 p.m. He shared multiple photos and videos of the raid, via Instagram, in the days following the incident.
In the caption of Afroman’s first post, he accused the officers of burglarizing his home. As well as searching for drugs, and stealing money.
In one video, officers can be seen entering Afroman’s garage with assault rifles.
According to WCPO, Sergeant Brian Newland of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office explained that the raid was part of an “ongoing investigation.” However, he couldn’t release the details.
Afroman Showed The Damage Police Allegedly Made To His Home
In an interview with TMZ, Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, explained that police took “trace amounts of some joints.” As well as a “vape and hemp.” However, the rapper was mainly upset about the damage that officers allegedly made to his home.
At the time, Afroman speculated to TMZ that officers may have been in search of “hundreds and thousands of pounds” of drug substances.
“They really didn’t have to run up my driveway with AR-15s and all kind of assault weapons. I would’ve gladly just given that to them. So I don’t know what’s behind destroying all my property…”
Additionally, he explained that the Adams County Sheriff’s Office wanted him to come down to make a statement about the raid. However, he felt it would be in his best interest to retain a lawyer, particularly civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
Police Officers Say Afroman Used Footage Of The Raid Commercially
The seven officers involved in the raid filed a lawsuit against Afroman on March 13, 2023, at the Adam’s County Clerk Of Courts. The officers allege that Afroman used the raid footage “for music videos, to promote his tours and brand.” As well as in “various social media posts and more.”
The citation of “music videos” in the lawsuit seems to refer to Afroman’s music video for “Will You Help Me Repair My Door.”
In the music video, Afroman revealed that the search warrant issued on his home in August, also listed “kidnapping” as a probable cause. The 48-year-old appeared to poke fun at the claim and questioned why officers would search his suit pockets if they were interested in finding a kidnapping victim.
In the music video, Afroman also poked fun at one officer who appeared to show interest in a lemon pound cake that was sitting in his kitchen. He also distributed T-shirts poking fun at the reference.
Additional Allegations Included In The Lawsuit Against Afroman
In addition, the plaintiffs also allege that Afroman used their likenesses and depictions “without the authorization of any of the plaintiffs to do so.” Due to the rapper’s actions, the officers say they have “suffered humiliation, ridicule, mental distress, embarrassment and loss of reputation.”
Additionally, the officers allege that they have received “death threats” because of Afroman’s actions.
“In some instances, it has made it more difficult and even more dangerous for Plaintiffs to carry out their official duties because of comments made and attitude expressed toward them by members of the public.”
The lawsuit reads.
The plaintiffs also would like to stop Afroman from using their likenesses for “future commercial use,” and are asking for all media featuring them to be taken down. Furthermore, they are also seeking more than $25,000 in damages, which they allege is the amount Afroman “has profited.”
The full lawsuit can be viewed here: Afroman Lawsuit by WCPO 9 News
Afroman Plans To Counter Sue
Afroman took to Instagram earlier this week and shared his plans to countersue in the caption of an instagram post he shared on Wednesday, March 22.
” My house is my property, my video camera films, everything on my property as they begin, stealing my money, disconnecting plus destroying my video camera system […] Criminals caught in the act of vandalizing and stealing money […] We are planning to counter sue for the unlawful raid, money being stolen, and for the undeniable damage this had on my clients family, career and property.”
