Afroman Wins Defamation Suit, Victory for Free Speech

0:00Global stories making news on March 19th. Grammy-nominated rapper Aferman just won a big defamation lawsuit against 7 Ohio sheriff's deputies. They had sued him for music videos that mocked their 2022 raid on his home, using footage from his security cameras. The deputies wanted nearly $4 million in damages. The raid stemmed from a warrant for drugs and kidnapping, but no charges ever came of it. And turned the clips into viral hits seen by millions on YouTube, poking fun at officers searching his pockets and eyeing a cake in his kitchen. He even accused them of taking $400 that went missing. Deputies testified the video sparked public harassment, with one saying his kid got bullied at school and came home crying. They called the songs, full of lies, aimed to hurt their reputations and personal lives. In court, Aferman wore an American flag suit and defended the tracks as protected speech to cover his repair costs and call out what he saw as a bad raid.

1:00His lawyer pointed out that cop-space criticism all the time and no reasonable person would take it as fact. After the Wednesday verdict, the 51-year-old rapper cheered outside the courthouse, yelling about freedom of speech-winning. He shared the moment online, calling it a victory for artists commenting on public figures. Special thanks to our sponsor for supporting this episode. Headphones in a pillow, simple idea, surprisingly addictive, S-O-L-I-SOLYPILLOW.com