Jussie Smollett, former Empire star, loses appeal, as the Illinois Appellate Court has decided to uphold his disorderly conduct conviction.
The panel consisted of three judges and with a 2-1 vote, they denied his appeal request. However, Smollett’s lawyers plan on requesting an appeal from the Illinois Supreme Court, which will determine if they will hear his case or not.
According to court documents, both Justice David Navarro and Justice Mary Ellen Coghlan agreed, while Judge Freddrenna Lyle opposed. The appeal was filed by his legal team in March 2023.
Smollett’s representative told Fox News Digitial, “We wish to highlight that the decision was divided, with Justice Lyle offering a detailed analysis in favor of Smollett. We are preparing to escalate this matter to the Supreme Court, armed with a substantial body of evidence.”
Prosecutor Dan K. Webb declared a statement, after the court’s decision:
“As the appellate court noted, Mr. Smollett challenge virtually every aspect of the prosecution, and the appellate court correctly rejected each and every one of those challenges. Today’s decision is a validation of Winston & Strawn’s tireless work of this matter and a resounding victory for justice. We are proud to have prevailed in a case that, we believe, can help restore the public’s confidence in the Cook County justice system.”
Jussie Smollett Staged his own Attack
The incident happened in January 2019, when Smollett told Chicago Police he was abused by two white men wearing ski masks, claiming it was a racist and homophobic attack.
According to the Empire actor, the two white men began shouting racial slurs, while pouring bleach on him and then tying a noose around his neck. Afterwards, they called him the n-word and proclaimed, “this is MAGA country.”
Many fans and celebrities were worried about Smollet after the attack, strongly encouraging Chicago Police to find those individuals.
The story broke headlines but after insufficient evidence, officials determined that Smollett orchestrated the entire attack. The reason behind why Smollet would stage a fake attack was to gain notoriety.
In 2021, the Empire actor was found guilty of five felony counts of disorderly conduct. He was accused of staging a racist and homophobic attack. After a two-week trial in 2021, Smollett was found guilty on five of the six counts.
The jury sentenced him to 150 days behind bars, 30 months of felony probation, and to pay restitution to Chicago totaling $120,106 with a fine of $25,000.
After Smollet’s lawyers file for another appeal, the Illinois Supreme Court will determine if they take his case or not. However, if they do not decide to reverse the ruling, Smollett has to finish his 150-day jail sentence.