Actor Jussie Smollett who was accused of faking a homophobic attack on the streets of Chicago in 2019, had his conviction overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court. His case was overturned after a judge had ruled that his second prosecution after the case had already been resolved was a violation of his right to due process.
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00:00Actor Jesse Smollett, who was accused of faking a homophobic attack on the streets of Chicago in
00:042019, had his conviction overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday.
00:10His case was overturned after a judge ruled that his second prosecution after the case had already
00:15been resolved was a violation of his right to due process. Smollett has critiqued the case
00:20from all angles since the saga was relaunched six months after charges were dropped.
00:25Smollett was a breakout star of the Fox TV series Empire when, in January 2019,
00:31he claimed that he was attacked in the streets of Chicago by two black men who
00:35hurled homophobic slurs at him and yelled, "'This is MAGA country,' while beating him
00:40and putting a noose around his neck while he was walking to his apartment.
00:43The two men said they were instructed by Smollett to attack him and that the actor had detailed to
00:48the brothers how to do it. The two alleged attackers testified that Smollett made the
00:52attack up and paid them $3,500 to do it. Smollett maintains that his allegations were not a hoax."
00:59The story soon became a media sensation before prosecutors eventually offered to drop the
01:04charges if Smollett agreed to forfeit his $10,000 bond and perform community service.
01:09Still, public outcry was harsh and loud,
01:12and a special prosecutor revived the case after its dismissal.
01:15Prosecutors allege Smollett staged the attack as he was unhappy with the TV
01:19studio's response to hate mail he received. Smollett was eventually found guilty and
01:24served six days of a five-month jail sentence in 2022 before he was released on appeal.
01:30But as seen on Thursday, it was determined that the special prosecutor's case
01:33was a violation of Smollett's rights.
01:35For more on this story, head to THR.com.
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