After being convicted of staging a hate crime, Jussie Smollett currently faces a $130,000 lawsuit from the City of Chicago and another lawsuit from the Osundairo brothers.
In 2019, Smollett claimed he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in Chicago. Police spent over one thousand hours investigating the incident.
The Chicago Police Department logged 1,836 overtime hours, which cost them $130,106.15. After Smollett’s conviction, it was confirmed that the city will move forward with the lawsuit.
Smollett also faces a lawsuit from the Osundairo brothers, who he reportedly hired to attack him.
A statement about the Chicago lawsuit said “The City filed a civil lawsuit against Jussie Smollett to recover costs incurred by the Chicago Police Department investigating what the City believed to be Smollett’s false police reports that he was a victim of a hate crime”.
“While using a different standard of proof, the jury’s finding of guilt convicting Jussie Smollett of criminal charges stemming from the incident confirms that the City was correct in bringing its civil lawsuit,” it read.
Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo had filed a defamation lawsuit against Smollett’s lawyers Mark Geragos and Tina Glandian, claiming the case damaged their careers and reputations.
Glandian’s claim that Abimbola engaged in a sexual relationship with Smollett “endangers him and the lives of his Nigerian family”. “Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Nigeria, which can result in 14 years of imprisonment,” the lawsuit explained.
Smollett has not made a public comment since leaving the courtroom after the verdict. His sentencing date has yet to be set.