Jury clears Afroman in Adams County raid lawsuit over parody videos
A jury rejected seven Adams County deputies’ claims over Afroman’s raid videos, sparing taxpayers a nearly $3.9 million damages demand after the 2022 search.
An Adams County Common Pleas Court jury cleared Afroman on all counts after a three-day trial in West Union, ending a lawsuit that grew out of the Adams County sheriff’s raid on his home in August 2022. The verdict left the seven deputies who sued him without a damages award.
The raid began with a confidential informant’s claim that the house tied to Joseph Edgar Foreman held drug trafficking activity, kidnapping and a basement dungeon. The warrant led deputies to a property that did not even have a basement. The deputies did not find the alleged dungeon or illegal material, and Foreman was not charged.
Foreman turned the raid footage into music and merchandise, including the viral videos and songs Lemon Pound Cake and Will You Help Me Repair My Door. Those releases used home-security footage from the search to mock the deputies and drew wide attention online. Police1 counted more than 3 million YouTube views for the videos.
Seven Adams County sheriff’s deputies then sued Foreman for defamation, invasion of privacy and unauthorized use of their likenesses. They sought nearly $3.9 million in damages. The case moved to trial on March 16, 2026, in West Union after nearly three and a half years of litigation, with the deputies arguing that Foreman had publicly harassed them through the songs and videos.
The jury rejected those claims and sided with Foreman on every count in March 2026. The ACLU of Ohio filed an amicus brief backing that view, calling Foreman’s music and commentary protected speech. After the verdict, Foreman posted, “We did it America, we did it. Freedom of speech.”
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