Actor Jussie Smollett has settled a lawsuit brought by the city of Chicago over the alleged staging of a 2019 hate crime. He agreed to donate $50,000 to the Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts and $10,000 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center. This settlement concludes a six-year legal battle where Chicago sought to recover investigation costs. Smollett continues to deny staging the attack, despite a previous conviction being overturned on procedural grounds by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Jussie Smollett settles suit over alleged hate-crime hoax with $50,000 donation
Jussie SmollettChicagoLaw (US)RaceUS crimeUnited StatesIllinois
AI Summary
TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Actor Jussie Smollett has settled a lawsuit brought by the city of Chicago over the alleged staging of a 2019 hate crime. He agreed to donate $50,000 to the Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts and $10,000 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center. This settlement concludes a six-year legal battle where Chicago sought to recover investigation costs. Smollett continues to deny staging the attack, despite a previous conviction being overturned on procedural grounds by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Trending- 1 2019: Jussie Smollett reported a hate crime; later charged with disorderly conduct; initial charges dropped.
- 2 2020: Smollett was indicted again after the case was revived by a special prosecutor.
- 3 November (unspecified year, likely 2024): The Supreme Court of Illinois overturned Smollett's conviction on procedural grounds.
- 4 Friday (2025-05-23): Smollett posted on Instagram about the settlement.
- 5 Sunday (2025-05-25): News of the settlement was reported.
- Conclusion of a long-standing legal dispute between Smollett and the city of Chicago
- Charitable donations made to Chicago-based non-profits
- Smollett's public image remains affected despite the procedural overturning of his conviction
What: Jussie Smollett settled a lawsuit with the city of Chicago regarding the alleged staging of a hate crime.
When: Friday (Smollett's Instagram post); 2019 (alleged attack, initial charges dropped); 2020 (indictment); November (Illinois Supreme Court overturned conviction); six-year-long (legal battle).
Where: Chicago, Illinois.
Why: To bring an end to a protracted six-year legal battle with the city of Chicago, which sought to recover funds spent investigating Smollett's claims.
How: Smollett made a $50,000 donation to the Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts and a $10,000 donation to the Chicago Torture Justice Center as part of the settlement.