Afroman is being sued by the Adams County Sheriff’s Office for using video from their home invasion in January in his music video.
According to a source with firsthand knowledge of the situation, several deputies have filed lawsuits against the artist, alleging that he was making money off the sale of goods that featured their images.
According to the lawsuit, which news site The Daily Caller was able to obtain, Afroman was not at home during the raid, but his wife was, and she was able to record the police in action. Residential security camera footage also captured the raid in progress.
Adams County Sheriff’s Office members state they hadn’t given approval for their images to be published or profited from. The police are accusing the musician of violating their privacy and misappropriating their likenesses by releasing music videos, social media posts, and real commerce items without getting their consent.
Legal filings made available to Daily Caller stated that Afroman’s activities were “willful, wanton, malicious, and done with conscious or reckless.”
Additionally, they asserted that they experienced emotional pain and that they were the targets of mockery, humiliation, and irreversible reputational damage. The legal records state that the Adams County Sheriff’s Office feels embarrassed about the situation.
They allege that due to posts made by Afroman they were “subjected to threats, including death threats, by anonymous members of the public” that viewed social media posts.”
Afroman said that deputies searched his residence for drugs but that no narcotics were found in the raid.
A person with direct knowledge of the situation adds that the artist alleges the officers stole $400 in cash from him and have not yet given it back. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation said the deputies miscounted the amount they originally seized and returned.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office filed a lawsuit in order to recover profits and earnings from any sales transactions made by Afroman that included their photos.
According to the legal paperwork that Daily Caller was able to obtain, they are requesting a court order to stop further usage of their photographs for sale and commercial purposes and have asked for a jury by trial.
