Jussie Smollett publicly addresses the resolution of his lawsuit with Chicago city authorities following a financial agreement.
In a resolution announced Friday, actor Jussie Smollett has reached a settlement with the city of Chicago in a civil case related to the city's efforts to recover costs from its investigation into a 2019 incident. Smollett has always maintained his innocence in the controversial case, which authorities claimed was a staged hate crime.
Smollett addressed the settlement in a public statement on Instagram, expressing his disappointment over the public's perception of the incident, stating, "City Officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set an assault against myself." Despite this, he explained, he decided to settle the case to make a charitable donation in exchange for the dismissal of the lawsuit.
Smollett, who called Chicago his former home, announced a $50,000 donation to the BBF Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts, a local non-profit serving underprivileged youth in Chicago through arts and education programming, as part of the agreement. The city's Department of Law released a statement, affirming that the settlement provides a "fair, constructive, and conclusive resolution."
The settlement brings an end to Smollett's legal matters in Chicago. His earlier conviction for disorderly conduct related to the alleged hoax was overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court in November 2024 on double jeopardy grounds. The Civil suit was initiated by the city in 2019 to recoup $130,000 in investigation costs following Smollett's claims of a racially and politically motivated attack. In response, Smollett filed a counter lawsuit against the city, alleging malicious prosecution and filing criminal charges without probable cause.
In 2019, two brothers—Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo—claimed that Smollett had paid them $3,500 to help him orchestrate and stage the crime, as authorities later accused him of writing the threatening letter sent to the Fox studio where the television series "Empire" was filmed. The brothers were not charged in the incident.
Smollett concluded his statement on Instagram, expressing his solidarity with those who have had to prove they have been victimized, stating, "I stand with and for you." The settlement marks a significant turning point in the lengthy legal battle between Smollett and the city of Chicago.
- The settlement between Jussie Smollett and the city of Chicago, following the civil case concerning the investigation into a 2019 incident, enables Smollett to make a charitable donation to the BBF Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts, an organization aimed at providing arts and education opportunities for underprivileged youth in Chicago.
- The tumultuous case involving Jussie Smollett, a celebrity embroiled in a controversial claim of a staged hate crime, has been the subject of intense scrutiny and debate in the realms of politics, crime, and justice, with the public's perception largely influenced by the allegations and counter-allegations exchanged between Smollett and the city.
- As the legal battle between Jussie Smollett and the city of Chicago comes to an end, questions remain about the role of entertainment figures, particularly celebrities, in shaping public opinion and the subsequent impact on their own reputation, a topic that continues to be a hot topic in both entertainment and political circles.
