Afroman Beats Defamation Suit After Mocking Raid in Videos (2)

Rapper Afroman on Wednesday defeated a defamation suit filed by Ohio deputies in a trial that revolved around a series of lewd social media posts and videos, some of which used footage of a police raid to mock them.

The musician’s anger about the raid by the rural Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies led him to create the viral music videos “Lemon Pound Cake” and “Will You Help Me Repair My Door.”

The jury deliberated for several hours before finding that Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, didn’t defame the deputies or portray them in a false light. The deputies’ request for a combined $3.9 million award was rejected. The musician’s attorney argued at trial that this was a free-speech case and that reasonable people wouldn’t consider his output about the plaintiffs as fact.

“It is a social commentary on the fact that they didn’t do things correctly,” the attorney, David S. Osborne Jr., said during closing arguments.

Afroman, best known for his early 2000s hit “Because I Got High,” was dressed in sunglasses and a suit with an American flag pattern during the trial.

The verdict, as well as most of the trial, was livestreamed on YouTube by the Cincinnati TV station WCPO.

Joseph Foreman, who performs under the stage name Afroman, took the stand to defend himself from defamation claims during a March 2026 trial in Adams County, Ohio.

Image: WCPO 9 via YouTube

The deputies—who first filed their claims in state court in 2023—said Foreman targeted them through offensive online posts and videos that harmed their reputations and wellbeing by making lewd allegations.

All of this happened after the 2022 raid on his house related to an investigation that didn’t lead to charges. Foreman used security camera footage of the raid on his home to make music videos. In one scene in one of them, a deputy walks by a glass cake stand on Foreman’s kitchen counter while Foreman sings, “would you like a slice of lemon pound cake? You can take as much as you want to take.”

But the posts continued for several years, right up to last week, the deputies’ attorney, Robert A. Klingler of Cincinnati, said during his closing arguments. The rapper also posted songs and videos this week from the trial and otherwise.

“This case isn’t about lemon pound cake,” Klingler said. “It’s about intentional lies designed to hurt people, and they hurt people.”

Osborne, of West Union, Ohio, said the deputies are public officials and subject to scrutiny and being made fun of, no matter how offensive the comments. What Foreman expressed were opinions, he said. Yes, they may be exaggerated, but they’re no different than other popular rap songs, Osborne said.

“Everybody knows it’s exaggeration for entertainment,” the attorney said of one song by Lil Wayne with a profane title. “Is he commenting on something? Sure, but it’s not fact.”

Foreman, not long after the verdict was delivered, posted a video on social media with supporters shouting in the background where he exclaimed “we did it, America! Yeah, we did it. Freedom of speech! Right on, right on.”

He filed counterclaims against the deputies for destruction of property and trespassing during the raid. A judge threw almost all of them out last month, save for one seeking sanctions, on which he has yet to rule.

The deputies are also represented by Fishel Downey Albrecht & Riepenhoff LLC.

The case is Cooley v. Foreman, Ohio Ct. Com. Pl., No. CVH20230069, verdict reached 3/18/26.