Afroman being sued by the police officers who raided his home last year
(Credit: Wikimedia)

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Afroman being sued by the police officers who raided his home last year

American musician and activist Afroman is facing a lawsuit from seven police officers over using footage from a raid of his home in a music video and on social media. 

The officers claim that the ‘Because I Got High’ rapper, real name Joseph Foreman, took recordings of their faces at a raid in Ohio in August 2022 and then used them in music videos and social media uploads without their consent. 

A detective, two sergeants and four deputies have claimed that this has caused “emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation and humiliation.” All seven plaintiffs are seeking all of Foreman’s profits from the use of their images, from songs to merchandise. They also request a court injunction to remove all videos and posts using their faces. The lawsuit names Foreman and his recording brand and media distribution company defendants.

However, Foreman revealed on Instagram last week that he wants to countersue for the “unlawful raid” and “stolen money”, as well the personal and economic damage it caused. 

He also explained why he used the camera recordings: “My video footage is my property. I used it to identify the criminals who broke into my house, and stole my money and disconnected my home security system”. 

Foreman continued: “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, [ransacked] my house and disconnected my video cameras.”

Since then, Foreman has posted numerous times on Instagram calling out the officers as “crooked cops” who he alleges “[invaded] an innocent man’s home”.

This is a developing story.