The city of Chicago has decided to sue Jussie Smollett after “refusing to reimburse” the cost of investigating an alleged assault on him in the city.
Although Smollett maintained his innocence, prosecutors say Smollett staged a homophobic and racist attack to boost his career.
To cover the investigation’s cost, the 36-year-old actor was given seven days to pay $130,000 (£99,000). A civil complaint will be filed since the deadline passed on Thursday.
Chicago’s law department said it will “pursue the full measure of damages allowed”, adding in a statement that the lawsuit will be filed “in the near future”.
But the charges against the actor were dropped last week after initially being treated as a victim. Smollett was accused of staging the attack and became the subject of the police investigation. Prosecutors say they still believe Smollett faked the attack.
The city of Chicago said in a letter demanding Smollett to pay $130,000 which covers the cost of the investigation, “As part of the investigation, Chicago police reviewed video and physical evidence and conducted several interviews, expending resources that could have been used for other investigations. Ultimately, the Chicago police investigation revealed that you knowingly filed a false police report and had in fact orchestrated your own attack.”
Lori Lightfoot, a new mayor of Chicago told MSNBC following her victory that there needs to be a “much more fulsome explanation” as to why the charges against Smollett were dropped. We cannot create the perception that if you’re rich or famous or both that you get one set of justice, and for everybody else it’s something much harsher. That won’t do and we need to make sure that we have a criminal justice system that has integrity.”