State Supreme Court Overturns Jussie Smollett’s Conviction in Alleged Hoax Case

In a significant legal development, the state Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of actor Jussie Smollett concerning the alleged 2019 hoax hate crime. This ruling spares the former ‘Empire‘ star from a five-month jail sentence, although it does not necessarily clear his name.

Smollett had contested multiple aspects of his legal proceedings, emphasizing that he believed the case should have concluded after the Cook County State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx, struck a deal to drop the initial charges. However, a special prosecutor was later appointed and re-indicted him a year following the initial dismissal.

The actor had been sentenced in 2022 to five months on five low-level felony counts after being found guilty of lying to police about an attack he allegedly orchestrated along with two accomplices near his Streeterville apartment.

The incident dates back to January 2019, when Smollett reported to the police that he was the victim of a racially and sexually motivated assault. The actor claimed that two men attacked him, shouted slurs, placed a noose around his neck, and poured a chemical substance on him.

In the aftermath of the report, there was significant skepticism about Smollett’s account, further fueled by surveillance footage that helped police track down the alleged attackers, brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo. During the subsequent trial, the Osundairo brothers testified that Smollett had paid them $3,500 to stage the attack as he was dissatisfied with his salary on the television show ‘Empire.’

Smollett always maintained his innocence, even after a jury found him guilty. In March 2022, a solemn Judge James Linn remarked that Smollett had «destroyed his life» and declared that the actor’s name had become synonymous with lying.

Despite these proceedings, the state Supreme Court’s recent decision has overturned Smollett’s conviction. The court did not provide a detailed explanation for the overturning but it essentially nullifies the need for Smollett to serve his remaining jail time.

In the interim, Smollett has actively worked to regain his footing in the entertainment industry. He continues to publicly assert his innocence, as evidenced by a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly where he described his determination to remove the felony from his records.

This case has consistently captured the public’s attention due to its high-profile nature and the controversies surrounding the narrative of the alleged hoax.