Actor Jussie Smollett is the biggest laughing stock in the country. He’s a punch line and rightfully so. The “Empire” actor, reportedly unhappy with his salary arrangement, staged a fake crime in the blistery Chicago conditions in the early morning hours of January 29, 2019. Here’s how the story goes. Two white men wearing red caps threw bleach on Smollett, put a rope around his neck, and hurled racist and homophobic insults at the actor; Smollett is gay.
Of course, everyone jumped on the bandwagon—and yes, Donald Trump was blamed. Yet, there were some who thought this story was just too good to be true, though they added that the Trump era made it seem believable, or something. Smollett’s story just didn’t make sense and after hours of resources invested in this case, Smollett was formally charged with filing a false police report, along with 16 other federal charges brought against him by a grand jury.
The second wave of controversy began when all charges against Smollett were dropped. Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx is facing intense scrutiny over this move. The Chicago Police are furious, especially after it was revealed that Foxx never really recused herself. Either way, Mayor Rahm Emanuel was as outraged as law enforcement and said that Smollett might be billed for the hours investigating his fake hate crime, which was actually perpetrated by two Nigerian brothers who knew Smollett. The city has formally filed a lawsuit against Smollett to pay his fake hate crime tab (via Fox News):
The city of Chicago sued actor Jussie Smollett on Thursday for the cost of investigating his controversial case, as promised, one week after the "Empire" actor refused to reimburse the city.
In a statement obtained by Fox News, the city's law department said on Thursday that it filed a civil complaint against Smollett, 36, in the Circuit Court of Cook County "that pursues the full measure of damages allowed under the false statements ordinance."
"This follows his refusal to reimburse the City of Chicago for the cost of police overtime spent investigating his false police report on January 29, 2019," the statement added.
The lawsuit doesn't include a specific monetary figure, but suggests the amount the city will seek from Smollett will be higher than the $130,000 sought earlier.
[…]
The civil complaint filed on Thursday outlined what city attorneys said Smollett did. The suit claimed that Smollett — who allegedly became friends with Abel Osundairo in 2017, per the docs — texted Abel in late January: "Might need your help on the low. You around to meet up and talk face to face?”
[…]
According to the complaint, after Smollett met with Abel's brother, Ola, Smollett allegedly "directed the Osundairo Brothers to stage the fake attack on the evening of January 28, 2019, near his apartment building in Streeterville." Per the suit, the three men then allegedly "coordinated the details of the fake attack" including on agreeing "that Abel would attack [Smollett], but would not hurt him too badly and would give [Smollett] a chance to appear to fight back."
In the meantime, enjoy Charles Barkley and Chris Rock torching the actor over this fiasco. What the hell were you thinking, kid!?
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