Rapper Afroman has filed a civil lawsuit against a former Ohio sheriff's deputy who helped raid his home in 2022 and then sued him for defamation — a case the deputy lost in March.

Joseph Edgar Foreman, known professionally as Afroman, filed the suit in Adams County, Ohio against Brian K. Newland, according to a copy of the filing obtained by Rolling Stone. The lawsuit accuses Newland of malicious prosecution, abuse of process, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and tortious interference with contract — meaning Newland allegedly used legal means to wrongfully disrupt Afroman's business relationships. Afroman is seeking at least $150,000 in damages, including $25,000 for attorney's fees.

The roots of the case stretch back to summer 2022, when at least nine officers from the Adams County Sheriff's Department raided Afroman's home on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping. No drugs or evidence of kidnapping were found. No charges were filed against him.

Afroman turned security-camera footage of the raid into music videos that went viral. In response, seven sheriff's deputies — including Newland — filed a defamation lawsuit in March 2023, formally titled Cooley v. Foreman AKA Afroman, claiming the videos humiliated them and damaged their careers (PBS NewsHour). Newland individually sought $1.5 million in damages and testified that he was forced to quit his "dream job" because of Afroman's claims, NPR reported.

In March 2026, an Ohio jury sided with Afroman and the deputies lost their case. The ACLU of Ohio had filed an amicus brief — a legal submission from a non-party offering perspective — calling the suit a "meritless effort to use a lawsuit to silence criticism of government actors" (ACLU).

During the defamation trial, Afroman testified that officers stole money from him during the raid and that $400 was missing from sealed evidence bags. Newland testified that he miscounted the money and denied taking it.

Afroman promoted his new lawsuit against Newland on Instagram in late July 2026, TMZ reported. Attorneys for both Foreman and Newland did not immediately reply to Rolling Stone's requests for comment.

The new filing flips the legal dynamic: the deputy who once sought $1.5 million from the rapper is now the one facing a damages claim. Whatever the outcome, the case keeps a four-year-old raid in the courts — and in the headlines.