Adams County Jury Clears Rapper Afroman on All 13 Counts in Deputies' Lawsuit

An Adams County jury handed Joseph "Afroman" Foreman a complete victory in Adams County Common Pleas Court, rejecting all 13 counts brought by seven sheriff's deputies who claimed the rapper defamed them and cast them in a false light after a 2022 raid on his home.

The verdict, delivered March 18 or 19, 2026, depending on the outlet, resolved a civil lawsuit that grew out of an August 2022 search of Foreman's home, executed with a warrant tied to an investigation into possible drugs and kidnapping victims. After the raid, Foreman released a song and music video called "Lemon Pound Cake" that incorporated his own security footage from the raid. The deputies sued, arguing Foreman had used their likenesses without permission.

In their lawsuit, the deputies claimed Foreman's music and social media posts caused "humiliation, ridicule, mental distress, embarrassment and loss of reputation." During closing arguments, an attorney identified only as Klingler argued that Foreman had gone far beyond mere criticism. "Mr. Foreman perpetuated lies intentionally, repeatedly, over three and a half years on the internet about these seven brave deputy sheriffs," Klingler said.

Foreman offered a sharply different account of what drove him to make the video. He said the raid left damage throughout his home and that the Adams County Sheriff's Office told him it was not responsible for paying for repairs. He turned the footage into music, he said, specifically to fund those repairs. "All of this is their fault," Foreman told the court Tuesday.

The trial's most pointed moment may have come Monday, when videos were played in court showing Foreman mocking several of the deputies by name and using actors to portray them. The jury nonetheless sided with Foreman across all 13 counts, which according to court documents filed in Adams County Common Pleas Court included both defamation and false light claims.

Whether the deputies plan to appeal or file post-trial motions has not been reported. The Adams County Sheriff's Office has not issued a public statement on the verdict.