Jussie Smollett’s conviction for falsely reporting a hate crime to Chicago Police in 2019 was overturned Thursday by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Smollett’s conviction tied to staged attack incident
Blavity reported that Smollett initially lied to police, stating that he was attacked near his Chicago apartment by two men (identified as brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo) who allegedly yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him, hung a noose around his neck and threw bleach-like liquid on him. However, the two men later said the former Empire actor paid them $3,500 to carry out the attack.
Smollett was found guilty in December 2021 on five counts of felony disorderly conduct. He was acquitted of one charge of felony disorderly conduct. At the time, prosecutors concluded Smollett paid the two brothers to stage the attack to garner media attention. He previously pleaded guilty to the six charges against him.
He first faced 16 counts of felony disorderly conduct, but Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx dropped the charges in March 2019. However, special prosecutor Dan K. Webb filed new charges against Smollett in Cook County in 2020. In December 2023, a state appellate court rejected his appeal, and he was ordered to serve his complete jail sentence, six days of which he served before being freed pending appeal, Variety reported.
Supreme Court rules Smollett’s rights violated, overturns charges in high-profile case
According to the outlet, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to hear his appeal earlier this year. In an opinion filed Thursday, the high court stated Webb violated Smollett’s rights by filing new charges against him after he accepted the previous agreement.
“We are aware that this case has generated significant public interest and that many people were dissatisfied with the resolution of the original case and believed it to be unjust. Nevertheless, what would be more unjust than the resolution of any one criminal case would be a holding from this court that the State was not bound to honor agreements upon which people have detrimentally relied,” the ruling states.
“We reverse the judgment of the appellate court, reverse the judgment of the circuit court, and remand the cause with directions for the circuit court to enter a judgment of dismissal.”
