Afroman is Being Sued By Ohio Law Enforcement After They Raided His House
Rapper Afroman is being sued by several members of Adams County Sheriff’s Office after they raided his house last year.
"Because I Got High" rapper Afroman faces a lawsuit from Cincinnati, Ohio law enforcement who raided his house last year. According to FOX 19, four deputies, two sergeants and a detective in the Adams County Sheriff’s Office claim that the rapper, legal name Joseph Foreman, invaded their privacy. During the 2022 raid, Foreman recorded footage of the group, obtaining images of their faces that he used in music videos, social media posts and merchandise without their consent.
Citing that public use of the footage is a misdemeanor violation under Ohio Revised Code, the group is suing Foremans on civil grounds, claiming that they've endured “emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation and humiliation.” The plaintiffs also say that they're authorized to Foreman's profits from the use of their personas, including live concerts, and the rapper's "Afroman" brand, where he sells beer, marijuana, t-shirts and other merchandise.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Foreman said he plans to countersue, alleging that the Adams County Sheriff's Office "vandalized and destroyed" his property.
"I use my footage of my property to raise money to pay for the damages they done and to identify the criminals operating inside of the sheriff department that stole my money Ramsack [sic] my house and disconnected my video cameras."
Last year, sheriff's deputies came to Foreman's household on a warrant claiming probable cause that drugs and drug paraphernalia were present, and that trafficking and kidnapping had taken place at the home. These allegations were ultimately unfounded, but the sheriff's office misplaced $400 after returning cash seized from the raid. In February, an independent investigation by the Ohio BCI resolved the matter, concluding that deputies miscounted the money taken from the incident.
“They come up here with AR-15, traumatize my kids, destroyed my property, kick in my door, rip up and destroy my camera system,” Foreman said last August.