SMOLLETT COULD FACE FURTHER LEGAL WOES.
Jussie Smollett may face further legal woes over claims he staged a racist attack, even after prosecutors dropped charges against him.
Smollett, an actor on the hit series Empire, said he was ready to “get back to work and move on with my life” after prosecutors in Chicago decided not to proceed with the 16-count case against him on Tuesday.
However, Rahm Emanuel, Chicago’s mayor, is reportedly considering suing the 36-year-old for US$150,000 over the incident, saying Smollett had made a fool of the city.
Emanuel said police had evidence that Smollett lied about an attack on Jan. 29, in which he claimed two masked men hurled racist and homophobic abuse as they poured bleach on him and tied a rope around his neck.
“He abused the city of Chicago, he actually committed a crime here,” the mayor told ABC News.
The cable network reported that Emanuel could take legal action against Smollett to recoup some the cost to taxpayers from the lengthy investigation into the actor’s claims.
On Wednesday, a conservative Illinois state lawmaker added that he wants the state attorney general to review the circumstances under which criminal charges were dismissed against Smollett.
State Rep. David Mcsweeney, a Republican from the Chicago suburb of Barrington Hills, filed a resolution asking Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul to “conduct a full, prompt, and comprehensive examination” of the case.
Meanwhile, Smollett’s attorney says two brothers who claim they worked with the actor to stage the attack against him are lying.
Tina Glandian told “Good Morning America” on Wednesday that Smollett had hired one brother as a personal trainer, and that they discussed training in the hours before the attack as Smollett’s flight to Chicago was delayed. She says Smollett had no idea who attacked him until the brothers were later identified by police.