BREAKING: City of Chicago Files Civil Case Against Jussie Smollett

Well, well, well, the City of Chicago has made good on its threat to sue Jussie Smollett for overtime costs incurred by its Police Department while investigating his hoax hate crime report.

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Rob Elgas, a reporter for the ABC affiliate in Chicago, tweeted that “the City of Chicago has filed a civil complaint against Jussie Smollett in Cook County Circuit Court” late Thursday.

As we reported on April 5, the City sent a letter and bill to Smollett two days after 16 felony charges against him were suddenly and inexplicably dismissed by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. The letter warned Smollett that if he failed to pay the amount within seven days the City would sue him and “could also impose a fine between $500 and $1,000 in addition to up to three times the amount of damages.”

According to Elgas’ tweets, the City’s complaint lays out a compelling case against Smollett. A civil case need only be proven by a preponderance of the evidence, or a more-likely-than-not standard, instead of beyond a reasonable doubt.

In addition to alleging that Smollett has “refused” to pay the overtime bill, the City alleges that Smollett knew his report was false and that he told the Osundairo brothers that “he was unhappy with the way his employers handled the racist and homophobic letter he had allegedly received and as a result wanted to stage an attack.”

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The City also alleges that the sham attack was delayed because Smollett’s plane returning to Chicago was delayed and that phone records, Uber records, and witness statements prove that he communicated this to the Osundairo brothers.

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The Complaint alleges that although Smollett said during his Good Morning America appearance that surveillance video showed his attackers, his story on the night of the alleged attack was different.

Smollett took a big gamble by not just paying the $130,000 and change. Perhaps he was hoping that Kim Foxx could help him out again, but she’s in a bit of hot water herself these days – especially after it came to light that she’d pushed for a probationary sentence for a defendant accused of murdering a 16-year-old. Now Smollett will be subject to the civil discovery process should he persist in not paying the fine.

The full Complaint can be read here.

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