Afroman Sues Officer Who Raided His Home, Sued Him, and Lost

Afroman has filed a lawsuit against one of the officers who raided his home in 2022 and later sued him after he turned footage of the botched raid into music videos. The musician, real name Joseph Edgar Foreman, won the highly publicized defamation lawsuit brought against him by officers at his local sheriff’s office. 

The civil suit filed in Adams County, Ohio on Monday, July 27 and obtained by Rolling Stone, accuses Brian K. Newland, one of the officers involved in the case and defamation lawsuit, of malicious prosecution, abuse of process, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and tortious interference with contract.

In the summer of 2022, at least nine officers from the Sheriff’s Department in Adams County raided Foreman’s home on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping. Following the raid that left his home ransacked, they found neither drugs nor any evidence of kidnapping. No charges were filed. Foreman turned footage of the raid into a series of music videos that went viral, over which the officers sued him in 2023 for defamation and false light, among other claims. In March, the officers — who claimed they were owed $3.9 million in damages — lost the suit.

His win at trial became of symbol for freedom of speech. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio filed an amicus brief calling the suit a “meritless effort to use a lawsuit to silence criticism … of government actors.… There is nothing the First Amendment protects more jealously than criticism of public officials on a matter of public concern.”

During his explosive testimony, Foreman said, “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.” At the trial, Foreman claimed the officers stole money from him during the raid, and when he went to pick up the seized cash, it was $400 less than what was recorded in sealed evidence bags. Newland testified that he miscounted the money and denied stealing the money.

In a July interview with Rolling Stone, Foreman pondered why his story went viral. “The more powerless human being has been violated by these types of governments, not necessarily having a solution. This was a case in time when a powerless man won against powerful government officials.”

The new suit filed by Foreman is seeking at least $150,000 in damages, which includes at least $25,000 for attorney’s fees and costs. Attorneys for Foreman and Newland did not immediately reply to requests for comment.