The City of Chicago wants "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett to cough up $130,000 for wasted city resources stemming from the fake hate crime he orchestrated earlier this year.
Smollett had told Chicago police he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack in January. In reality, Smollett allegedly hired two brothers to pretend to attack him. The reason? He was unhappy with his pay for appearing in "Empire."
“On January 29, 2019, Defendant submitted a false police report claiming that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic beating by unknown attackers," the lawsuit states. "In reality, Defendant knew his attackers and orchestrated the purported attack himself. Later, when police confronted him with evidence about his attackers, he still refused to disclose his involvement in planning the attack."
Here's where things get interesting. Not only is the City of Chicago suing, but Smollett is considering a lawsuit as well.
"Defendant contemplates filing an action against the City of Chicago and/or its agents for their conduct underlying the arrest and their conduct thereafter including constitutional claims and state law claims. Defendant reserves the right to bring such claims at the appropriate time provided by law," Smollett's attorneys wrote.
The revelation came about during a status report given to the court by both Smollett's team and the City of Chicago, Yahoo! News reported.
Neither side is ready for trial, with both saying they'd need until next June to prepare. Although it will take awhile for both sides to get their case prepared, they both anticipate a short two to three day trial.