Despite efforts to get his 2019 case dismissed, Jussie Smollett is headed to trial for allegedly lying to police about a crime. According to NBC News, a judge in Cook County dismissed his motion to get the criminal case tossed out. The ruling took place on Friday, which means Jussie will have to fight the accusations in court.
His lawyer Nenye Uche argued in court that the ruling is a violation of Jussie’s rights. Apparently, the actor already made a deal in Cook County to drop the charges. The deal included community service and a forfeited $10,000 bond.
Still, Judge James Linn wasn’t going for that. A special prosecutor appointed by another judge now has the case in their hands. Therefore, Judge James made his ruling based on refusal to “upset that arrangement.”
What Happened in 2019?
As you may remember, Jussie was accused of staging a racist and homophobic hate crime in 2019. He told police then that two men wearing “Make America Great Again” caps attacked him in Streeterville — an affluent neighborhood in north side Chicago. The former ‘Empire’ actor told cops the men shouted racial and homophobic slurs at him and tied a noose around his neck. This led to police investigating the incident as an alleged hate crime.
After reporting the crime, police weren’t able to confirm the story with visual evidence. Investigators spoke to brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo and they gave a different version of the story.
Former Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson concluded that Jussie actually paid the brothers $3,500 for the fake assault gig. The actor hoped to “promote his career” based on responses to the attack.
Nonetheless, Jussie has maintained his innocence throughout the accusations. Last year, he joined Marc Lamont Hill on Instagram Live for an interview. He shared that he felt frustrated by his own silence due to litigations.
“They won’t let this go,” Jussie said. “It doesn’t matter. There is an example being made. And the sad thing is that there’s an example being made of someone that did not do what they’re being accused of.”
Although a grand jury indicted him in March 2019, the case was dropped weeks later, per NBC News. Then, a special prosecutor picked it back up and charged him with disorderly conduct for lying to police.
This is a developing story.
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