Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matt Marton/AP/REX/Shutterstock (10155663a) Empire actor Jussie Smollett, center, arrives at the Leighton Criminal Court Building for his hearing, in Chicago. Smollett is accused of lying to police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two men on Jan. 29 in downtown Chicago Empire Cast Member Attack, Chicago, USA - 14 Mar 2019
According to the Chicago Tribune, Cook County prosecutors on Tuesday dropped all charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett on disorderly conduct charges for allegedly staging a phony attack and claiming he was the victim of a hate crime. “We believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case,” a prosecutor said in announcing the dismissal of all 16 counts. Smollet was really being criticized by public media when details of the case seemed to be unclear to many. A publicist for Smollett’s attorney was the first to notify the news media Tuesday morning, issuing an alert that did not elaborate on the nature of the emergency. Moments after Judge Steven Watkins allowed the dismissal, attorneys for Smollett issued a statement. “Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him,” the statement said. “Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement. “Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions,” the statement continued. “This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result. “Jussie is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on his family, friends and career.” The 36-year-old actor, who was free on $100,000 bond, has previously denied lying to police or faking the attack. I, Personally, am happy For Jussie as I believed that the 16 felony counts for this situation was ridiculously punitive in nature. I hope that now that this case has been dismissed, Jussie can get back to his life and some level of normalcy. If there are any new developments in the case we will be sure to share them with you.
