Jussie Smollett and the city of Chicago have come to a settlement nearly six years after the city filed a lawsuit against the former “Empire” actor. Chicago originally sued Smollett in April 2019, following his false report that he had been the target of a racist and homophobic assault in the city’s Streeterville area. However, after a costly investigation, law enforcement and municipal authorities found that the actor had contrived the hate crime himself.
In January 2019, Smollett reported being assaulted due to his race and sexual orientation. Authorities later detained two brothers, Ola and Abimbola Osundairo, but investigators ultimately found that Smollett knew the brothers and had enlisted their help to stage the incident.
The lawsuit claimed that Smollett knowingly filed a false police report on January 29, 2019, and alleged that he had conspired with others to stage the incident. The city sought $130,000 in reimbursement for investigative costs.
Smollett, in response, launched a countersuit denying any wrongdoing, including orchestrating the attack or making false statements to police. NBC News reports that as of Monday, both Smollett and the city informed the court of their agreement to settle the dispute, though they noted that they “need more time to finalize documentation.” Specific terms of the resolution have not been revealed.
He was taken into custody the following month, and in March, a grand jury indicted him for allegedly filing a false report. Those charges were later dropped by Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx.
The case was subsequently reopened by a special prosecutor, leading to a new indictment in February 2020 on six counts of disorderly conduct. The matter proceeded to trial. In December 2021, a jury found Smollett guilty on five of the six charges. The next year, he received a sentence of 150 days in jail along with 30 months of probation.
During the trial, the Osundairo brothers testified that Smollett paid them $3,500 to stage the attack as a publicity stunt. Smollett contested that narrative, maintaining the money was for personal training and denying the staging allegations.
In November of last year, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the conviction, citing procedural issues. The justices ruled that the prosecution violated Smollett’s agreement with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office not to pursue further charges.