Ohio officers, who conducted a botched raid of rapper’s home, are suing for invasion of privacy and emotional distress



olice officers who conducted a botched armed raid of rapper Afroman’s home last year have filed a lawsuit against him for invasion of privacy and emotional distress after he used footage of it in his music videos.

Earlier this month, police officers Shawn D Cooley, Justin Cooley, Michael D Estep, Shawn D, Grooms, Brian Newland, Lisa Phillips, and Randolph L Walters, Jr, filed the lawsuit in Adams county, Ohio, against Afroman, alleging that the rapper and others including his record label used the officers’ persona for commercial purposes.

According to court documents, police officers conducted a search of Afroman’s residence last August, “pursuant to a lawfully issued search warrant”. According to the warrant, the search was carried out as part of an investigation into drug possession and trafficking, as well as kidnapping.

Following the raid, Adams county prosecutor’s office said officers found no probative criminal evidence, and Afroman faced no charges.

At the time of the raid, Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Edgar Foreman, was not home but his wife was.

In addition to Afroman’s wife recording parts of the raid on her phone, security video cameras installed at their home also caught portions of the search, including the faces and bodies of many of the officers involved.

The rapper went on to use the footage recorded by his wife and house cameras as part of several music videos which were released online. Afroman also posted content from the raid onto his social media accounts including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram, the lawsuit said.

“These music videos clearly portray the images, likenesses, and distinctive appearances (‘personas’), of many of the officers involved in the search, including those of all Plaintiffs,” according to the lawsuit.

One of the images posted to Instagram is of Afroman wearing a T-shirt with a picture of police officer Shawn D Cooley next to a picture of Family Guy character Peter Griffin, the lawsuit said.

Another Instagram post featured a picture of judge Roy Gabbert who signed the search warrant. According to the lawsuit, the caption read: “This is the judge that signed the warrant that said kidnapping. His name is Roy Droopy Gabbert. Vote him out before he signs a fictitious warrant then send some over reacting paranoid KKKops to your House jeopardizing the lives of you and your family, Stealing your money and disconnecting your home video security surveillance system…”


The police officers allege that Afroman’s actions were “willful, wanton, malicious, and done with conscious or reckless disregard” and claim that they have been subject to ridicule by the public.

They also claimed that they have been subject to death threats and have been unable to perform their duties properly.

“As a result of Defendants’ actions, Plaintiffs have suffered damages, including all profits derived from and attributable to Defendants’ unauthorized use of Plaintiffs’ personas, and have suffered humiliation, ridicule, mental distress, embarrassment, and loss of reputation,” the lawsuit said.

Each officer is seeking damages of $25,000 per four counts.

Earlier this year, Afroman told Vice that he lost gig opportunities due to the kidnapping charge written on the warrant and that he has channeled his anger through his music.

“I’m a civilian. Then, to make matters worse, I’m a Black civilian in America. The police department was not designed to serve and protect me. I felt powerless yet angry. These guys can destroy my property and I literally couldn’t do nothing about it. The only thing I could do was take to my pen and sing about the injustice. And to my surprise, it’s going over well!” he said.

 https://www.theguardian.c .. rapper-afroman

Where is the video ?

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It's footage from his surveillance system , these judges are wild for approving this bs to destroy this man's property . The state or county is clearly against transparency. Hope he sues them

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If that negros was home he could of probably lost his life.

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Just remember people when the state fuks up your property you pay to repair it

Yeah he gotta pay

Come on Sin. You're better than this. Post the damn video.

Appreciate you Xiox.

thats hilarious, I met afroman in 2011 at eastern illinois universitiy after he performed at a show there. cool dude, was literally drinking and smoking weed w my buddys frat

they was on his property illegally he should counter sue for double jeopardy and aggravated harassment

Won’t stand and likely a counter suit is viable

If it’s his footage they have nothing


If it’s their footage it was obtained through foiar


But yea those foot soldiers are not the smartest

I wonder who took to suit.. a chief or the municipality.. sheriff or state


In any case pretty sure suing for freedom of press … is a case no judge wants to take on in this climate

1. If it's on his property how do they have a case?

2. If it's outside in public how do they have a case?

3. Invasion of privacy? They rolled up on this man's "private" (*cough* private/privacy) illegally and ran through his sh*t

philly337 said 1. If it's on his property how do they have a case? 2. If it's outside in public how do they have a case? 3. Invasion of privacy? They rolled up on this man's "private" (*cough* private/privacy) illegally and ran through his sh*t

Abolish our current model of policing.

Outdated. Discriminatory. And it's anti-freedom and anti-liberty.

Only good for destroying families and making cities pay out multi-million dollar settlements.

his music video is funny man. this lawsuit just about to make the song bigger

That song funny as fu*k. Classic Afroman.





Police mad they had nothing and that he trolled them. So of course they gon be petty. This is why we hate the police, they act like literal children.

sh*t sad they can do that, k*ll your dog and say "whoops, wrong house"

but ur still on the hook for it all. America looks more and more like north korea everyday.

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He made 3 music videos off this incident

This sh*t kinda fire

I remember Afram being lightskin for some reason. He got revitiligo

Its amazing how police can have no self awareness. They clearly fu*ked this dude over, and he chose to rightfully embarrass them. Why do they feel like they can do anything they want, and no one ever criticize them. Props to Afroman for making multiple songs off this, and they are catchy as hell too. I was singing Lemon Pound Cake all day.

PotheadFocker said view image He made 3 music videos off this incident This sh*t kinda fire

Thanks for sharing, that was mad catchy.

Voodoopocalypse said they was on his property illegally he should counter sue for double jeopardy and aggravated harassment

They had a warrant for drugs & kidnapping

Marccoogs19 said Its amazing how police can have no self awareness. They clearly fu*ked this dude over, and he chose to rightfully embarrass them. Why do they feel like they can do anything they want, and no one ever criticize them. Props to Afroman for making multiple songs off this, and they are catchy as hell too. I was singing Lemon Pound Cake all day.

They can do anything with a warrant & just walk away

Xiox said They had a warrant for drugs & kidnapping

he beat the case and it's not illegal to have cams on your property

Damagegadget said Won’t stand and likely a counter suit is viable If it’s his footage they have nothing If it’s their footage it was obtained through foiar But yea those foot soldiers are not the smartest I wonder who took to suit.. a chief or the municipality.. sheriff or state In any case pretty sure suing for freedom of press … is a case no judge wants to take on in this climate

This. Freedom of Information Act. They have nothing to stand on.

PotheadFocker said view image He made 3 music videos off this incident This sh*t kinda fire

Word. I’ve been torturing my kids since yesterday with the hook. Went and got a mini lemon Bundt cake earlier.

nyzthoro said Word. I’ve been torturing my kids since yesterday with the hook. Went and got a mini lemon Bundt cake earlier.

bundt cake

Thanks for reminding me to buy that album. Got some AMZ credits too.

That was a world class sonning of those terrorists.

That judge, lieutenant, sergeant & captain all need to be fired for the lies & destruction of that man's property

Xiox said Where is the video ? view image It's footage from his surveillance system , these judges are wild for approving this bs to destroy this man's property . The state or county is clearly against transparency. Hope he sues them view image . view image If that negros was home he could of probably lost his life. view image Just remember people when the state fuks up your property you pay to repair it

Border patrol cut my seats up, left my door panels off , dumped all my travel bags on the parking spot. After 35 minutes the bi*ch at the desk said welcome to america and let me go outside to my sh*t just trashed