As Deadline reports, the civil lawsuit the City of Chicago filed against Jussie Smollett (Empire, The Mighty Ducks) and the countersuit by Smollett has been dropped. A settlement has been reached where Smollett will donate $50,000 to the charity of his choice, Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts. In a final jab at the city, Smollett has also donated $10,000 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, which helps communities heal from the violence of the Chicago Police Department. That amounts to ten thousand a year since this drama began to unfold.
The tragic fall of Jussie Smollett was nothing short of Shakespearean. At his height, he stole the hearts of America on the widely popular hip-hop drama Empire. His outstanding acting and amazing voice resonated with the audience as he portrayed Jamal Lyon. He shone in scenes that depicted Jamal’s close relationship with Cookie Lyon, Taraji P. Henson (Hustle & Flow, Hidden Figures), and scenes that delved into issues involving the struggles of the LGBTQ community. Yet his honey-coated vocal cords were not enough to save him from the drama that would ensue.
As reported by mxdwn, Smollett reported to be an alleged victim of a hate crime. Things took a turn for the worse as the investigation turned on him. He was accused of allegedly making the whole thing up, eventually leading to him being indicted on 16 felony counts for making false reports. The whole debacle became a court drama that played out before the eyes of the public over the span of many years.
Deadline reports that Smollett has continued to maintain his innocence. In a statement he released to the public, he claims that the Illinois Supreme Court exonerated him. This could be a bit misleading, as the Supreme Court made no ruling on the merits. Instead, they found that the special prosecution, which led to five convictions of disorderly conduct, was unconstitutional under the double jeopardy clause. This stems from the fact that the original prosecution agreed to settle the case if he forfeited his $10,000 bond and agreed to community service. Charging him again with a special prosecutor is, in fact, double jeopardy. Yet his claims of exoneration fall flat as he was found guilty and got off on a technicality.
Mxdwn reports that the City of Chicago filed the civil lawsuit to recoup the $130,000 they spent to look into the alleged attack he had reported. Smollett refused to pay the money and filed a counter lawsuit against the city for malicious prosecution. He blames them for being the victim of alleged mass public ridicule and harm. Whether malicious intent was behind the special prosecution or not, it was Cook County that elected to pursue special prosecution and not the City of Chicago.”