Hate crime or publicity stunt? Chicago jury to hear case in Jussie
Smollett trial
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[November 30, 2021]
By Peter Szekely
(Reuters) -On a frigid Chicago night in
January 2019, actor Jussie Smollett, a star on the TV drama "Empire,"
reported that he was the victim of a hate-motivated street attack, but
police later accused him of staging the whole affair as a publicity
stunt.
The case went to trial on Monday in Cook County Circuit Court, with a
jury selected by late afternoon to hear evidence for six felony counts
of disorderly conduct accusing Smollett of making false reports to the
police.
Smollett, 39, has denied that he faked the attack, pleading not guilty
in February 2020.
The openly gay Black actor told police he had been accosted on a
darkened street by two masked strangers. According to Smollett's
account, his assailants threw a noose around his neck and poured
chemicals on him while yelling racist and homophobic slurs and
expressions of support for then-President Donald Trump.
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A month later, police arrested him, accusing Smollett of paying two
brothers $3,500 to stage the attack in a hoax aimed at gaining public
sympathy and raising his show-business profile.
Smollett's acting career has faded since the incident. He lost his role
as a singer-songwriter in the final season of "Empire," a Fox television
hip-hop drama that ended a five-year run in 2020.
His case took an unexpected turn in the spring of 2019 when the Cook
County state's attorney's office dropped a 16-count indictment against
him in exchange for Smollett forfeiting his $10,000 bond without
admitting wrongdoing.
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![](../images/113021pics/news_p31.jpg)
Former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett arrives at court for his
arraignment on renewed felony charges in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
February 24, 2020. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski
![](../images/ads/current/centraldirect_lda_SPONSOR_2021.png)
The dismissal drew criticism from then-Mayor Rahm
Emanuel and the city's police superintendent, who called the
reversal a miscarriage of justice, leading a Cook County judge to
appoint Dan Webb, a former U.S. attorney, to review the case.
After a five-month investigation, Webb overruled the state's
attorney's office and concluded that prosecution of Smollett was
warranted, questioning the judgment of prosecutors in dropping the
original case.
The current case against Smollett has been slowed by legal
challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key trial testimony is expected from the brothers, Abimbola and
Olabinjo Osundairo, who prosecutors have said were paid by Smollett
to participate in a phony attack. Smollett is not required to
testify in his own defense.
(Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Will Dunham and
Richard Pullin)
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