Latest news with #BuildingBrighterFutures
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Jussie Smollett Donates $50,000 to Arts Center to Settle Chicago's Lawsuit
Jussie Smollett, the former 'Empire' star, announced that he had donated $50,000 to a Chicago charity to settle a lawsuit by the city about his claim that he had been the victim of a hate crime. In 2022, a jury convicted Mr. Smollett of felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report after he said he had been attacked in downtown Chicago by two men who hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him. His conviction was overturned last year by the Illinois Supreme Court, which said the special prosecutor's case violated a previous agreement with Mr. Smollett. Mr. Smollett shared details of his settlement with the city in a statement posted to Instagram on Friday, saying that he had made a $50,000 donation to the Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts. According to its website, the organization's mission is to 'improve the quality of life for underprivileged youth and their families by providing safe, stable and nurturing experiences.' The City of Chicago had sued Mr. Smollett six years ago, seeking more than $130,000 to cover the costs of its police investigation. It said the settlement with Mr. Smollett required the charitable contribution. 'The city believes this settlement provides a fair, constructive and conclusive resolution, allowing all the parties to close this six-year-old chapter and move forward,' a city spokeswoman, Kristen Cabanban, said in a statement. She said that Mr. Smollett also made a $10,000 payment to the city in 2019, and that he had faced additional accountability through his criminal trial. Mr. Smollett posted on Friday that, in addition to the settlement, he had also donated $10,000 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, an organization that 'seeks to address the traumas of police violence and institutionalized racism,' according to its website. A representative of the Building Brighter Futures Center confirmed in an email that it had received the donation. The Chicago Torture Justice Center confirmed Mr. Smollett's donation in an Instagram post last week. Mr. Smollett originally said that the men who hurled slurs at him also tied a rope around his neck and doused him with a chemical substance. The story initially inspired outrage and sympathy for the actor, but prosecutors became suspicious of his account and charged him with felony disorderly conduct. Those initial charges were dropped in 2019 after Mr. Smollett agreed to perform community service and forfeit a $10,000 bond payment. But after an outcry from the mayor and the police, a special prosecutor revived the case. Chicago's lawsuit had been on pause while the criminal charges worked their way through the courts. Mr. Smollett, who has maintained his innocence and countersued city officials, said in his Instagram post that he was aware the settlement 'will not change everyone's mind about me.' 'What I have to do now is move forward,' he wrote.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Jussie Smollett settles suit over alleged hate-crime hoax with $50,000 donation
Jussie Smollett, the actor who claimed to be a victim of a 2019 hate crime but was later charged with having staged the attack, has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought against him by the city of Chicago with a donation to charity. The actor said on a post on Instagram that he made a $50,000 donation to the Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts, a Chicago-based non-profit that works with art and city youth. He will additionally make a $10,000 donation to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, which helps victims of abuse by Chicago police. 'Every dollar we receive goes towards repairing decades of racialized state violence by providing no-cost therapy, a community space, an organizing home, and other services to survivors of police torture and violence,' the Chicago Torture Justice Center said in an Instagram post confirming Smollett's donation. 'This generous donation from Mr. Smollett is so meaningful and deeply impactful.' This settlement brings to an end a six-year-long legal battle between Chicago and Smollett, in which the city sought to recuperate funds used to investigate Smollett's claims. Smollett, a Black and gay actor well-known for his performance in the television show Empire, said in 2019 that two masked men in Chicago jumped him, poured bleach on him, placed a rope around his neck and called him homophobic and racist slurs. But two extras from his show told police the actor had paid them to stage the attack. Smollett was charged with disorderly conduct for falsely saying he was the victim of a hate crime. All charges were dropped after his legal team cut a deal with prosecutors – Smollett paid the city $10,000 and agreed to perform community service. The city of Chicago, in turn, sued Smollett for the cost of the investigation, saying it totaled $130,000. Smollett counter-sued the city, denying he staged the attack. Smollett was indicted in 2020 after the case was revived by a special prosecutor and was convicted of falsely reporting an attack. But in November, the supreme court of Illinois overturned the conviction , ruling the actor had been unjustly prosecuted after prosecutors had agreed to drop the charges in 2019 in exchange for Smollett agreeing to forfeit a $10,000 bond and perform 15 hours of community service. Smollett continues to deny that he staged the attack. 'Over six years ago, after it was reported I had been jumped, City Officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set [up] an assault against myself,' Smollett wrote on Instagram on Friday. 'This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear.' Smollett also claimed that he had been 'exonerated by the Illinois Supreme Court', but the judges wrote that they decided to overturn the case based on the procedural issue of a due process violation, and made no finding on the underlying facts in the case.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jussie Smollett to make charitable donations to settle Chicago's hoax attack lawsuit
Weeks after the city of Chicago and Jussie Smollett announced a settlement to resolve their yearslong legal battle over the actor's 2019 claim that he was the victim of a hate crime, Smollett took to social media to disclose the terms of the agreement. Smollett said Friday he would donate $50,000 to the Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts charity as part of a deal to secure the case's dismissal. Smollett said would be making an additional $10,000 donation to the Chicago Torture Justice Center. NBC News reached out to Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts and the city of Chicago to confirm Smollett's donations and details of the settlement, but did not immediately receive a response to a request for comment. Chicago Torture Justice Center confirmed Smollett's donation in an Instagram post Friday. The actor said his decision to settle the civil suit was 'not the most difficult' to make and allowed him to support the communities 'too often neglected by those in power.' Smollett, who is Black and gay, first reported a hate crime committed against him in January 2019, alleging that two men confronted him with racial and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured bleach on him. However, police and city officials later said he orchestrated the hoax hate crime against himself. The city's suit accused Smollett of submitting a false police report on Jan. 29, 2019, saying he knew his attackers and planned the attack, and it sought $130,000 in expenses spent on the police investigation. Smollett countersued, denying that he orchestrated the attack. Brothers Olabingo and Abimbola Osundairo, who worked on the 'Empire' set, said they were paid by Smollett to stage the hate crime and testified against the actor during his trial. Smollett was found guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct in December 2021, and sentenced to 150 days in jail and 30 months' probation in March 2022, but the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the conviction in November 2024 over prosecutorial issues. The state high court ruled that Smollett should have never been charged in the first place after entering a nonprosecution agreement with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. Smollett has maintained his innocence over the years. He ended his post thanking his supporters. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jussie Smollett donates to Chicago charity in city settlement
Actor Jussie Smollett made a $50,000 payment to a local Chicago charity to settle the city's lawsuit against him, according to a Friday statement. The legal battle stemmed from Smollett's false police report in 2019 claiming he had been the victim of a hate crime. 'I've made a $50,000.00 donation to Building Brighter Futures (BBF) Center for the Arts, a local nonprofit doing incredible work nurturing self-expression, creativity and exploration of the arts for Chicago youth,' Smollett said in a statement to The Hill. 'This organization was of my choosing and I'm comforted that there will be at least one winner from this experience,' he added. The actor, who is Black and gay, previously alleged that two men jeered at him before pouring bleach onto his body and tying a rope around his neck on Jan. 29, 2019. The city said it spent at least $130,000 on overtime pay for investigators to research the reported incident before discovering Smollett had paid the two men $3,500 to carry out the attack. In his Friday statement, Smollett still claims he did not fabricate the assault allegations. 'Over six years ago, after it was reported I had been jumped, [city] officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set an assault against myself. This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear,' Smollett wrote. 'These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. Today, it should be clear … They have received neither,' he added. The actor said he was thankful to have the 'resources' to defend himself and committed to donating an additional $10,000 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, which seeks to address police violence in the city. Smollett's original charges for the crime were dropped after the former Cook County state attorney was accused of unethical interference in the case. The actor was prosecuted for a second time in 2021 and convicted on five of six counts, leading to a 150-day jail sentence and 30 months of probation. Smollett was detained for six days but was later vindicated by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2024, citing his previous agreement with Kim Foxx, the then-Cook County state attorney. 'Though I was exonerated by the Illinois Supreme Court in a unanimous decision and the civil case is now dismissed, I'm aware that it will not change everyone's mind about me or the attack I experienced,' Smollett said Friday. 'However, despite arduous and expensive attempts to punish me, I am innocent both in the eyes of God and of our criminal justice system,' he added. 'What I have to do now is move forward.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Jussie Smollett donates to Chicago charity in city settlement
Actor Jussie Smollett made a $50,000 payment to a local Chicago charity to settle the city's lawsuit against him, according to a Friday statement. The legal battle stemmed from Smollett's false police report in 2019 claiming he had been the victim of a hate crime. 'I've made a $50,000.00 donation to Building Brighter Futures (BBF) Center for the Arts, a local nonprofit doing incredible work nurturing self-expression, creativity and exploration of the arts for Chicago youth,' Smollett said in a statement to The Hill. 'This organization was of my choosing and I'm comforted that there will be at least one winner from this experience,' he added. The actor, who is Black and gay, previously alleged that two men jeered at him before pouring bleach onto his body and tying a rope around his neck on Jan. 29, 2019. The city said it spent at least $130,000 on overtime pay for investigators to research the reported incident before discovering Smollett had paid the two men $3,500 to carry out the attack. In his Friday statement, Smollett still claims he did not fabricate the assault allegations. 'Over six years ago, after it was reported I had been jumped, [c]ity officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set an assault against myself. This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear,' Smollett wrote. 'These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. Today, it should be clear….They have received neither,' he added. The actor said he was thankful to have the 'resources' to defend himself and committed to donating an additional $10,000 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, which seeks to address police violence in the city. Smollett's original charges for the crime were dropped after the former Cook County state attorney was accused of unethical interference in the case. The actor was prosecuted for a second time in 2021 and convicted on five of six counts, leading to a 150-day jail sentence and 30 months of probation. Smollett was detained for six days but was later vindicated by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2024, citing his previous agreement with Kim Foxx, the Cook County state attorney. 'Though I was exonerated by the Illinois Supreme Court in a unanimous decision and the civil case is now dismissed, I'm aware that it will not change everyone's mind about me or the attack I experienced,' Smollett said Friday. 'However, despite arduous and expensive attempts to punish me, I am innocent both in the eyes of God and of our criminal justice system,' he added. 'What I have to do now is move forward.'
