ADAMS COUNTY, Ohio — Afroman, the rapper who is being sued by Adams County sheriff's deputies, took the stand Tuesday afternoon.
Joseph Foreman, known professionally as Afroman, is on trial this week after a lawsuit claimed he used Adams County sheriff's deputies' likenesses without permission after they executed a search warrant at his home in August 2022. Foreman's defense says the case is about freedom of speech.
"All of this is their fault," Foreman said on Tuesday. "If they hadn't wrongly raided my house, there would be no lawsuit, I would not know their names, they wouldn't be on my home surveillance system, and there would be no songs ... my money would still be intact."
Foreman said that it was his right to make videos and posts using his own cameras after he alleged they broke down his door, caused damage and shorted him his money over wrong allegations.
"They're suing me for their mistake," he said.
Watch Afroman on the stand here:
The first day of the trial focused on some of Foreman's music and social media posts following the Aug. 21, 2022, raid. He used the video captured by his security cameras in a music video for his song "Lemon Pound Cake," which went viral. Footage he posted on his Instagram page showed multiple officers breaking down his door and entering with long rifles drawn.
Foreman said the warrant that prompted the search was for drug trafficking and kidnapping. He did not face any charges afterwards. However, the artist said the raid caused "significant damage" at his home. He also said the deputies disconnected his surveillance footage and stole some of his money, noting $400 was missing when the sheriff's office returned the cash they took from his property.
WATCH: Here's what happened on the second day of the trial
So far, each of the Adams County sheriff's deputies suing Foreman have taken the stand to tell their side.
Deputy Lisa Phillips gave an emotional testimony. She told the court she was called into work to help execute the warrant on Foreman's home. At one point, Phillips broke down in tears as the state played a derogatory 13-minute music video created by Foreman and related posts, subjecting her to accusations about her gender and sexuality.
She said they humiliated her and that she faced ridicule and speculation from the community.
"I've always been a go-getter. I mean, as far as, like, I try to do my best to help people out ... and then I sit back and, you know, try to do the best I can do," Phillips said. "And you have people hollering at you and saying things like being a thief, having a sex change, prove I have to have a vagina."
Sergeant Randy Walters took the stand, testifying that he, too, suffered a hit to his reputation and emotional harm in the wake of Foreman's posts.
"It's hard when your job that you're doing affects your family, which affects you. When you have a kid come home crying that's already been through a lot in life, and now they're getting hazed and harassed because somebody thinks it's funny, somebody knows it's not true. I've been with my wife, for 28 years. She didn't have an affair with Mr. Foreman. She didn't make my daughter with Mr. Foreman, but now my family has to be harmed because of straight up, 100% lies," Walters said. "Where in the world is it okay to make something up for fun that's damaging to others when you know for sure it's an absolute lie? That's a problem."
The Adams County Sheriff's Office conducted an outside investigation on the raid conducted by Clermont County and found that no money was stolen, just miscounted.
In their lawsuit, deputies claim that Foreman's music and posts have caused "humiliation, ridicule, mental distress, embarrassment and loss of reputation." Videos played in court on Monday showed the rapper mocking several of the deputies, calling out their names and using actors to represent them.
