CBS News | The Grammy-nominated rapper Afroman won a defamation lawsuit filed by seven Ohio sheriff’s deputies who sued him over music videos in which he used home security footage to mock their raid of his home.
“It’s not only for artists. It’s for Americans,” the 51-year-old rapper, born Joseph Foreman, told CBS News after winning the case. “We have freedom of speech. They … did me wrong and sued me because I was talking about it.”
“It’s for the people, by the people,” he said. “So when the people can’t use their freedom of speech, bring up the problem, address the problem, take care of the problem, then the problem never gets solved.”
The case tested the limits of parody and the license artists can take in social commentary directed at public figures. The deputies, collectively, sought nearly $4 million in damages.
“No reasonable person would expect a police officer not to be criticized. They’ve been called names before,” defense lawyer David Osborne said in closing arguments for the rapper and comedian, known for his breakout 2000 hit, “Because I Got High.”
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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afroman-wins-lawsuit-ohio-police-raid-music-videos/