The artist known as Afroman filed a lawsuit this week against one of the seven officers who raided his home in 2022 and then later fruitlessly sued him for defamation after the shameless musician turned home surveillance footage of the officers bumbling around his house looking for drugs into viral video comedy gold.
In March, an Ohio jury didn’t buy any of the allegations against the “Lemon Poundcake” rapper, whose legal name is Joseph Edgar Foreman, which included unauthorized use of individuals’ persona, invasion of privacy by misappropriation and false light publicity, and defamation.
Now Afroman claims that former Adams County Detective Sgt. Brian K. Newland wasted his time and money, cost him valuable music gigs, and caused him emotional distress by filing and prosecuting a frivolous and malicious civil lawsuit against him.
His complaint, filed on July 27 in the Court of Common Pleas in Adams County, Ohio (and obtained by Atlanta Black Star), says the claims against him “lacked legal merit and factual basis” and were designed to harass him and harm his business relationships, including contracts he had with “various music venues.”
Botched 2022 Raid
During the armed raid on his property in August 2022, officers sought evidence of drug trafficking and kidnapping but found none. They broke down his door and ransacked his house, seizing $5,031 in cash and other property, Rolling Stone reported. Later, when his cash was returned to him, Afroman said it was $400 short.
He has since accused Newland of purposely pocketing the cash in several rap songs and videos, including a recent release, “Brian Newland Is A Flag,” in which he also accuses the officer of having sex with minors.
Newland testified during the trial that he had miscounted the money before packaging it up and wrote down the wrong total.
On Tuesday, Afroman again singled out Newland in an Instagram post in which he wrote, “HAPPY OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY TO ME And for my birthday present I’m suing the police officer who stole my $400, then had the audacity to sue me for 1,500,000 dollars.”
Officers Sue Afroman
In their lawsuit filed in March 2023, the seven officers said Foreman’s use of their faces and images (personas) in scathing videos and social media posts that mocked them and accused them of corruption subjected them to public ridicule and threats and resulted in their “emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation and humiliation.”
The officers alleged they were entitled to all of Foreman’s profits from his use of their personas, including proceeds from the songs, music videos and live event tickets as well as the promotion of his “Afroman” brand, under which he sells beer, marijuana, T-shirts and other merchandise.
Afroman argued that he was simply describing what the officers did in his house and what had happened to him due to the officers’ wrongful actions in his videos, which is his First Amendment right.
“All of this is their fault,” he testified. “If they hadn’t wrongly raided my house, there would be no lawsuit, I would not know their names … there would be no songs, nothing. … They’re suing me for their mistake.”
Judge Rules Afroman Should be Responsible for Some Legal Costs
After the jury found in favor of Afroman on every count on March 19, Judge Jonathan Hein dismissed the officers’ lawsuit and issued a judgment that split the legal costs equally between the plaintiffs and defendant.
On May 28, Hein further explained why he did so, writing that both parties’ claims survived pretrial motions to dismiss, “thus both parties’ claims initially possessed theoretical merit and were entitled to further litigation consideration.”
Second, he said, Foreman’s eight counterclaims — which included seeking recompense for damage done to his house during the raid — did not prevail when dismissed by the judge in February 2026.
And third, while the plaintiffs’ claims “did not prevail with a jury verdict,” the judge said, “the jury deliberated over 6 ½ hours, which indicates there was merit in the claims though Plaintiff ultimately did not overcome their burden of proof.”
Afroman’s Current Lawsuit
In his current lawsuit, Afroman seeks a jury trial to determine damages in excess of $25,000 for attorney’s fees and costs incurred in defending “Defendant’s frivolous lawsuit,” as well as compensatory damages for lost time from work, economic damages, damages for emotional distress and reputational harm, and for loss of contractual benefits and business opportunities.
He also seeks punitive damages “to deter [Newland] from similar conduct in the future.”
The notoriety from his viral videos and widely broadcast trial and courtroom victory has sparked a career rejuvenation for the laid-back yet flamboyant rapper, who emerged on the music scene in 2001 with the stoner anthem “Because I Got High,” which was nominated for a Grammy award.
Afroman released a new album, “Freedom of Speech,” on April 20 and has been giddily rapping his way through a 60-city U.S. tour in support of the album, a tour which extends through early December.
Newland, who is now a detective in the Norwood, Ohio, police department, has 28 days after being served with the complaint to file a response in court.
Judge Brett M. Spencer, who was assigned to Afroman’s new lawsuit, recused himself on July 28, citing “a potential conflict of interest.” He requested that the case be assigned to a “Visiting Judge” by the Ohio Supreme Court.
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