Actor Jussie Smollett has reached a settlement with the city of Chicago, six years after the city filed a lawsuit against him regarding his accusations.
Chicago sued Smollett following claims he staged an attack in January 2019, when he reported being assaulted by two men wearing “Make America Great Again” hats during a freezing night. Investigators later discovered that Smollett was acquainted with the men and had orchestrated the incident, allegedly to boost his acting career.
City officials sought to recover approximately $130,000 spent on the investigation into Smollett’s allegations, which claimed he had been the victim of a hate crime in predominantly Democratic Chicago.
In response, Smollett maintained that he did not stage the attack and filed a countersuit against the city for what he deemed a false accusation.
As reported by NBC News, Smollett expressed relief as the details of the settlement are being finalized, noting that the city requires additional time to complete the necessary documentation.
Smollett was the subject of a special prosecutor’s investigation, which concluded that he had indeed perpetrated a hoax. The Chicago prosecutor, Kim Fox, stated that Smollett exhibited “substantial abuse” throughout the legal process. He faced six counts of disorderly conduct.
After being tried, he was convicted and sentenced to 150 days in jail and 30 months of probation.
However, despite this conviction, all charges against him related to the hate crime hoax were ultimately dropped by the Illinois Supreme Court, which ruled he could not be retried.
