Jury rules for Afroman in case over 'Lemon Pound Cake' video that used home raid surveillance footage
Grammy-nominated rapper Joseph Foreman, better known as Afroman, poses for photographers as they arrive at the 44th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 27, 2002, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Mark J. Terrill/The Associated Press)
A jury found Wednesday that Grammy-nominated rapper Joseph Foreman, better known as Afroman, should not be held liable for a song that he wrote and a video that he made after several local sheriff's deputies raided his home in Adams County, Ohio.
The song is called “Lemon Pound Cake,” and the accompanying video uses surveillance footage from the raid. The deputies sued, saying the video and related publicity subjected them to ridicule, mental distress and danger, including anonymous death threats. They also accused Foreman of making false statements, according to a story by WKRC.
The deputies, collectively, sought nearly $4 million in damages.
Foreman said he he wrote the song and made the video to recover losses after deputies broke his front gate and caused other damages, according to the story.
“They broke into my house, put themselves on my video cameras, and got into my music career with my freedom of speech. I had the right to talk about the events going on in my life,” Foreman said, according to WKRC.
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