Judge Says Chicago Can Proceed With Lawsuit Against Jussie Smollett For Over $130k

A federal judge gave the green light Tuesday, for the city of Chicago to continue on with its lawsuit against Jussie Smollett.

The city wants the ‘Empire’ actor to reimburse over $130,000, for overtime accrued when police investigated his alleged hoax attack back in January.

After a Chicago judge refused to dismiss the city’s lawsuit against Smollett, his attorney William Quinlan, released a statement saying in part, “The pleadings are just the city’s side of the story Now, Mr. Smollett will get to present his side of the case. Mr. Smollett has always maintained his innocence and is eager to have the complete facts of the case come out.”

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As you may recall, Smollett claimed that he was a victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two masked men, while police and prosecutors said Smollett orchestrated the attack with the help of two brothers. One brother, who was an extra on “Empire” and the other, who was the actor’s personal trainer. 

In March, Cook County State’s Attorney announced a shocking decision to drop the 16 felony counts related to making a false report, which pissed off Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and eventually led to the city’s lawsuit against Smollett.

Although Smollett has maintained his innocence, he could possibly face new criminal charges after another Chicago judge appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the case.