Jussie Smollett trial: Supporters line up outside court as Empire actor pleads not guilty over 'fake attack'
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Your support makes all the difference.Empire actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges that he falsely report to police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in Chicago's downtown area on 29 January.
His attorney Tina Glandian entered the plea on his behalf during a court hearing in the morning.
Judge Steven Watkins has been assigned to oversee Smollett's case, including the trial.
The next court date has been scheduled for 17 April.
Prosecutors allege that the actor hired two friends to help stage an attack on him in downtown Chicago early on the morning of 29 January.
Police say Smollett told detectives that two masked men beat him while hurling racist and homophobic slurs, and that they poured an unknown substance on him and hung a noose around his neck before fleeing.
Smollett, 36, has denied staging the attack and maintains his innocence.
A grand jury in Chicago previously indicted him on 16 felony counts, which his attorneys have called “prosecutorial overkill”.
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Hello and welcome to The Independent's coverage of the Jussie Smollett case, as the Empire actor attends a court hearing in Chicago.
Empire actor Jussie Smollett will appear before a court in Chicago today after being accused of lying to police over his claim he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in the city’s downtown area on 29 January.
He has so far maintained his innocence in the face of accusations he staged the incident in which two men allegedly attacked him, declaring, “This is MAGA country”, in order to further his career.
Mr Smollett allegedly hired two brothers - Abimbola "Abel" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo - to beat him because he was unhappy with his salary on the Fox hip-hop drama, paying the pair $35,000 (£26,000) for the job.
A grand jury in Chicago has since indicted him on 16 felony counts, which his attorneys have called “prosecutorial overkill”.
Jussie Smollett is due in court today at 10am EST (2pm GMT) over the hate crime "hoax".
A judge is expected to be assigned to the disorderly conduct case and Mr Smollet asked to enter a plea.
The case has twice caused uproar: when it was first reported and again when the Chicago Police Department accused Mr Smollett of completely inventing the incident.
The idea the actor might have cynically exploited racial tensions in Donald Trump's America for personal gain has enraged the president and his supporters and he duly took the actor to task on Twitter on 21 February:
Gloria Schmidt, the attorney representing the brothers concerned - Abimbola "Abel" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo - says the men regret their involvement and only agreed to participate in the incident because of their friendship with Jussie Smollett and the sense that he was helping them in their careers.
Ms Schmidt says the brothers have come to realise how much the incident has negatively affected minorities and particularly victims of actual hate crimes.
And here's our piece on Jussie Smollett's suspension from Empire, after initially protesting his innocence to his fellow cast members.
The text messages Jussie Smollett sent just prior to the "hoax attack" were revealed last month.
Jussie Smollett has been charged with 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct alleging he gave false accounts of an attack on him to police investigators.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
(Reuters)
Sources told ABC7 that Jussie Smollett is expected to plead not guilty during his court appearance on Thursday morning.