After the stunning decision by the prosecutor’s office to drop all charges against Jussie Smollett on Tuesday, the actor’s lawyer now says they might file lawsuits over the incident.
Attorney Tina Glandian told Good Morning America‘s George Stephanopoulos that Smollett and his legal team “were weighing our options now” when asked if they would sue. She did not specify who Smollett would sue, however.
“For Jussie, what’s really important is he really just wants his career and his life back,” she said. “Again, he did not ask for any of this, he was a victim of a crime.”
She continued, “He has not even healed from the initial attack because he has been dealing with everything that has happened since then.”
Smollett pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of disorderly conduct charges earlier this month after a bizarre series of events that initially started with him being the victim of a hate crime in January. Chicago Police later claimed he was the culprit, who had planned the apparent attack. After the charges were surprisingly dropped, the judge chose to seal the case.
“This has been an incredibly difficult time,” the Empire star outside the Chicago courthouse Tuesday. “I am a man of faith, and I am a man that has knowledge of my history, and I would not bring my family, our lives or the movement through a fire like this. I just wouldn’t.”
Despite the charges being dropped, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson defended the investigation in a follow-up press conference.
“This is without a doubt a whitewash of justice,” Emanuel said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “There is no accountability. It is wrong, full stop.”
CBS News learned Emanuel is considering suing Smollett to recoup some of those taxpayer dollars wasted, adding up to $150,000. That’s 15 times more than the $10,000 bond the actor forfeited Tuesday.
