The Jussie Smollett saga —at least legally—has finally come to an end, with the criminal charges being dropped and his record expunged.
According to TMZ, Smollett and his lawyers ran to court Tuesday morning in Chicago, where he was facing 16 felony counts of lying to police in connection to January’s alleged homophobic and racial attack. Jussie will surrender his $10,000 bond and then the case will officially be closed.
States attorney Kim Foxx revealed to the Chicago police that she dropped the case because even if convicted, Smollett would have only gotten community service and since he already performed community service she believes there’s no point.
In a statement following the being dropped Smollett’s lawyers Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown asserted that the attack wasn’t a hoax and doubled down that it did happen.
“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”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.”
The statement continued, saying the public’s optics shouldn’t infiltrate a case and that Smollett deserves a fair trial.
“Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. 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 briefly spoke to the media before leaving the courthouse.
