WINCHESTER, Ohio (AP) — 7 law enforcement officers have sued rap artist Afroman, accusing him of improperly using footage from a police raid on his Ohio home last year in his music videos.
4 deputies, 2 sergeants & a detective with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office brought the suit earlier this month, claiming invasion of privacy. Other law enforcement officers who were involved in the raid are not named as plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs say the rapper, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, took footage of their faces obtained during the August 2022 raid & used it in music videos & social media posts without their consent. They say that has caused them “emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation & humiliation.”
The plaintiffs are seeking all of Foreman’s profits from his use of their personas. That includes proceeds from the songs, music videos & live event tickets, as well as the promotion of Foreman’s Afroman brand, under which he sells beer, marijuana, T-shirts & other merchandise. They also seek a court injunction to take down all videos & posts containing their personas.
Law enforcement officers were acting on a warrant that stated probable cause existed that drugs & drug paraphernalia would be found on Foreman’s property & that trafficking & kidnapping had taken place there. Those suspicions turned out to be unfounded, though & the raid failed to turn up probative criminal evidence. No charges were ever filed.
When cash seized during the raid was returned to Foreman, it appeared that hundreds of dollars were missing. A subsequent review by the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation determined that deputies had miscounted the amount seized during the raid itself.
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