ADAMS COUNTY, Ohio — Afroman may have won his civil trial against the Adams County Sheriff's Office in March — but now the "Because I Got High" rapper is headed back to civil court with a lawsuit of his own.
Joseph Foreman, known professionally as Afroman, posted to social media Tuesday to announce his lawsuit against former Adams County Sheriff's Sgt. Brian Newland.
"HAPPY OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY TO ME," Foreman wrote on Instagram. "... I'm suing the police officer who stole my $400, then has the audacity to sue me for 1,500,000 dollars."
You can watch the verdict from Afroman's March civil trial below:
In the lawsuit, which was filed in the Adams County Court of Common Pleas, Foreman alleges that Newland stole $400 from him when his Ohio home was raided by the Adams County Sheriff's Office in 2022.
Afroman's home surveillance system captured the moments police broke through his gate and forcefully entered his home with their guns drawn while executing a search warrant on Aug. 21, 2022. According to Afroman, the warrant was for drug trafficking and kidnapping, but the rapper never faced any charges.
The artist said the raid caused his home significant damage. He also said the deputies disconnected his surveillance footage and stole some of his money.
"$400 came up missing from what they said they had. So the crime scene switches from my house to the police station. They started investigating themselves and they say it was simply a miscount," he previously told us. "How do you miscount $400?"
The sheriff's office told WCPO that Clermont County did an outside investigation on the raid and found that no money was stolen, just miscounted.
Shortly after deputies raided his home, the rapper released his album "Lemon Pound Cake," telling us he turned to music to cope with the humiliation he felt after the raid.
Just some of the songs included on "Lemon Pound Cake," the album inspired by the raid, include "Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera," "Will You Help Me Repair My Door," "I'm A Have A Good Time" and the title track "Lemon Pound Cake." The rapper used footage from the raid to make music videos that went viral, amassing millions of views.
Those music videos led to the sheriff's office's lawsuit, where several deputies, including Newland, alleged Afroman used their images and likenesses without permission for multiple commercial purposes. The lawsuit also claimed those videos caused "humiliation, ridicule, mental distress, embarrassment and loss of reputation." Those who filed the lawsuit were seeking millions in damages.
When an Adams County jury sided with Afroman in the civil trial in March, Foreman was visibly emotional.
WCPO spoke to Afroman after the verdict.
“I didn’t win," Afroman said. "America won. America still has freedom of speech. It’s still for the people by the people."
WATCH: Our full conversation with Afroman after the verdict
