In the immediate aftermath of Jussie Smollett’s hate crime hoax in 2019, countless defenders of Smollett blasted the media for referring to the attack as “alleged.” Fortunately, following last week’s jury verdict, we don’t have to use the word “alleged” anymore… for the opposite reason.
Smollett awaits sentencing after being found guilty on five of six counts related to the hoax, and his legal troubles could be just getting started.
According to the Daily Mail:
Embattled actor Jussie Smollett still faces a $130,000 lawsuit from the City of Chicago – and more legal trouble from the brothers he hired to attack him – after he was convicted of staging his own assault in a botched career move.
The Chicago Police Department came to the conclusion after more than two dozen cops spent weeks investigating the bogus story, logging 1,836 overtime hours in the process, a July 2019 legal filing said.
The city was faced with a $130,106.15 overtime tab and has since confirmed that it will press ahead with its lawsuit against Smollett to reclaim the cash. Their chances of a win or settlement are now all but guaranteed in the wake of the star’s conviction.
Chicago police initially demanded $130k from Smollett days after Cook County DA Kim Foxx dropped charges against him in 2019, with Smollett’s legal team stating that he “won’t be intimidated” into paying it. Now he likely won’t have a choice.
And that’s not all – a lawsuit filed against Smollett’s legal team by the Nigerian Osundairo brothers Smollett hired to attack him also stands.
There’s also the possibility that Smollett faces additional consequences for perjury during the trial.
In interviews since the jury verdict, one juror has spoken out to comment that Smollett was a really bad actor on the stand.
Matt Palumbo is the author of The Man Behind the Curtain: Inside the Secret Network of George Soros
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