Latest news with #JussieSmollett
New York Times
3 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.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Jussie Smollett posts bizarre Instagram screed proclaiming innocence and insisting he suffered hate crime attack
Hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett went on a bizarre Instagram rant in which he repeated his widely-debunked claim that he was the victim of a bias attack in the wake of his cushy settlement in his civil suit with the city of Chicago. '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 on Instagram Saturday. 'These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. Today, it should be clear…They have received neither.' Advertisement 3 Hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett went on a bizarre Instagram rant on Saturday. FilmMagic Smollett was convicted in 2021 for staging a phony hate crime against himself in Chicago in 2019, and was later sued by the Second City for $130,000 for the cost of the investigation into the bogus claims. The 'Mighty Ducks' actor and the Windy City have now settled their suit — with Smollett agreeing to donate $60,000 to two Chicago-based charitable organizations in lieu of paying the city. Advertisement The 42-year-old will donate $50,000 to nonprofit Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts and 'an additional' $10,000 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, according to the Instagram post. With this legal win on top of the shock overturning of his five felony charges by the Illinois Supreme Court— the 'Empire' actor is now celebrating what he called his 'innocence.' 'However, despite arduous and expensive attempts to punish me, I am innocent in the eyes of God and our criminal justice system,' Smollett wrote in the post. 'I will continue creating my art, fighting passionately for causes I hold dear and defending my integrity and family name with the truth,' he continued. Advertisement 3 Jussie Smollett was sentenced to five months behind bars after being convicted of staging a hate crime against himself. via REUTERS 3 A still image from surveillance video on January 2019 showed two men who Smollett allegedly staged the phony hate crime with. REUTERS 'To everyone who has supported me, thank you. Your prayers and belief in me mean more than words can properly express,' he wrote, concluding, 'With Love & Respect, Jussie Smollett.' Despite Smollett's crowing over his legal success in the Illinois State Supreme Court, state officials claim that the overturning of the conviction did not mean the 'Alien: Covenant' actor was telling the truth. Advertisement 'Make no mistake: Today's ruling has nothing to do with Mr. Smollett's innocence,' special prosecutor Dan Webb said in a statement at the time. 'The Illinois Supreme Court did not find any error with the overwhelming evidence presented at trial… or the jury's unanimous verdict that Mr. Smollett was guilty of five counts of felony disorderly conduct,' Webb stated. The charges were overturned on Fifth Amendment rights violation, as Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx decided to drop the charges against Smollett after he was initially hit with 16 felony counts stemming from the bogus hate crime police report.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jussie Smollett speaks out after reaching civil settlement with city of Chicago
Actor Jussie Smollett is speaking out after reaching 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 that authorities claim was a staged hate crime. Smollett has always maintained he is innocent. Smollett addressed the resolution in a public statement shared Friday on Instagram. Jussie Smollett heartbroken over criticism after attack: 'You don't even want to see the truth' "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," he wrote. He added, "These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. Today, it should be clear… They have received neither." Smollett said his decision to settle "was not the most difficult one to make," explaining, "I was presented with an opportunity to make a charitable donation in exchange for the case being dismissed." Calling Chicago his former home, he noted, "Making a donation to benefit Chicago communities that are too often neglected by those in power will always be something I support." Smollett also announced a separate $10,000 donation to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, writing, "To anyone who has had to prove they have in fact been violated, you know how difficult this can be to navigate. I stand with and for you." In March 2019, Smollett forfeited his $10,000 bond to the city and agreed to perform 16 hours of community service as part of a separate agreement to drop all criminal charges related to the alleged false report, according to then-Cook County first assistant state attorney Joe Magats. The city filed a lawsuit in 2019 over $130,000, which the Chicago Police Department said it had spent investigating the actor's claims that he had been attacked in a racially and politically motivated incident. In November 2019, Smollett filed a counter lawsuit against the city of Chicago, claiming that authorities "maliciously" prosecuted him "in bad faith" and filed criminal charges against him "without probable cause." The counter lawsuit was filed in response to a lawsuit the city filed against Smollett in April, requesting $130,000 in civil penalties, damages and attorney's fees and costs arising from Smollett's alleged "false statements." Two brothers -- Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo -- later claimed that Smollett paid them $3,500 to help him orchestrate and stage the crime after Smollett allegedly became upset that a letter threatening him, sent to the Fox studio where the television series "Empire" was filmed, did not get enough attention, according to police. Police later accused Smollett of writing the letter. The brothers were not charged. As part of the new settlement agreement, Smollett will donate $50,000 to Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts, a local nonprofit serving underprivileged youth in Chicago through arts and education programming. The donation was made in exchange for the dismissal of the city's lawsuit against Smollett, according to a statement released Thursday by the city's Department of Law. In an official statement, the department said, "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." Jussie Smollett speaks out after reaching civil settlement with city of Chicago originally appeared on
5 days ago
- Entertainment
Jussie Smollett speaks out after reaching civil settlement with city of Chicago
Actor Jussie Smollett is speaking out after reaching 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 that authorities claim was a staged hate crime. Smollett has always maintained he is innocent. Smollett addressed the resolution in a public statement shared Friday on Instagram. "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," he wrote. He added, "These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. Today, it should be clear… They have received neither." Smollett said his decision to settle "was not the most difficult one to make," explaining, "I was presented with an opportunity to make a charitable donation in exchange for the case being dismissed." Calling Chicago his former home, he noted, "Making a donation to benefit Chicago communities that are too often neglected by those in power will always be something I support." Smollett also announced a separate $10,000 donation to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, writing, "To anyone who has had to prove they have in fact been violated, you know how difficult this can be to navigate. I stand with and for you." In March 2019, Smollett forfeited his $10,000 bond to the city and agreed to perform 16 hours of community service as part of a separate agreement to drop all criminal charges related to the alleged false report, according to then-Cook County first assistant state attorney Joe Magats. The city filed a lawsuit in 2019 over $130,000, which the Chicago Police Department said it had spent investigating the actor's claims that he had been attacked in a racially and politically motivated incident. In November 2019, Smollett filed a counter lawsuit against the city of Chicago, claiming that authorities "maliciously" prosecuted him "in bad faith" and filed criminal charges against him "without probable cause." The counter lawsuit was filed in response to a lawsuit the city filed against Smollett in April, requesting $130,000 in civil penalties, damages and attorney's fees and costs arising from Smollett's alleged "false statements." Two brothers -- Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo -- later claimed that Smollett paid them $3,500 to help him orchestrate and stage the crime after Smollett allegedly became upset that a letter threatening him, sent to the Fox studio where the television series "Empire" was filmed, did not get enough attention, according to police. Police later accused Smollett of writing the letter. The brothers were not charged. As part of the new settlement agreement, Smollett will donate $50,000 to Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts, a local nonprofit serving underprivileged youth in Chicago through arts and education programming. The donation was made in exchange for the dismissal of the city's lawsuit against Smollett, according to a statement released Thursday by the city's Department of Law. In an official statement, the department said, "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."
