The Jussie Smollett scandal has more plot twists than the entire fifth season of Empire!
The two brothers who Chicago police claim helped the actor stage his alleged attack are seeking legal action against Smollett’s legal team.
At a news conference on Tuesday, attorneys for Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairom announced that they’ve filed a federal lawsuit against the actor’s lawyers for continuously asserting that they carried out a real, racially charged hate crime when they knew it wasn’t true.
Gloria Schmidt, one of the brothers’ attorneys, says that after police determined the attack was staged in January 29th and charges were dropped, Jussie’s team continued to point the finger at them.
The suit cites that the public ordeal caused the two “significant emotional distress,” and made them feel unsafe and alienated them from the local community.
“We have sat back and watched lie after lie being fabricated about us in the media only so one big lie can continue to have life. These lies are destroying our character and reputation in our personal and professional lives,” the Osundairos’ lawyers said in a statement.
The lawsuit doesn’t specify the exact amount the brothers are seeking from the suit against Jussie Smollett’s team, but the Associated Press reports that it would it be more than $75,000 for “appropriate compensatory damages, punitive damages and costs,” stemming from the alleged defamation.
