Overview
- An Adams County jury found Afroman not liable on defamation and privacy claims brought by seven sheriff’s deputies, awarding no damages.
- The officers had sought nearly $4 million over posts and songs that used home-surveillance footage, including the viral "Lemon Pound Cake" video with more than 3 million views.
- The three-day trial ended with jurors deliberating for only hours before ruling that his over-the-top lyrics and satire could not reasonably be taken as literal fact.
- Afroman argued his work was protected by the First Amendment; the ACLU of Ohio supported him with an amicus brief that characterized the lawsuit as a classic SLAPP attempt.
- The lawsuit stemmed from an August 2022 search for drugs and kidnapping evidence that found nothing and resulted in no charges, as deputies testified the videos led to humiliation and threats.