The city of Chicago has filed a lawsuit against Jussie Smollett in a bid to recoup the costs of investigating a racist, anti-gay attack that authorities say was orchestrated by the Empire actor as a publicity stunt.
The 12-page civil lawsuit, filed in Cook County court on Thursday, is the latest volley in a legal battle that shows no signs of abating since Smollett reported that masked men had beaten him up on January 29 in Chicago, shouting slurs and wrapping a rope around his neck.
The city’s resolve to take Smollett to civil court follows a surprising decision by prosecutors in March to drop all criminal charges accusing him of staging the incident, saying they believed they could prove the charges but that it was not worth the time and expense.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel denounced the decision as “a whitewash of justice”, and others criticised the Cook County state’s attorney’s office for not requiring an apology and an admission of guilt from Smollett as a condition for tossing the case.
The lawsuit comes after Smollett refused a demand that he send the city 130,106 US dollars (£99,616) to reimburse Chicago for overtime as police sought to verify his account.
The lawsuit does not include a specific monetary figure, but suggests the amount the city will seek from Smollett will be higher than the 130,000 US dollars.
The complaint lacks the hard-hitting language in the city’s letter to Smollett’s lawyers earlier this month.
Smollett maintains he has told the truth from the beginning. Reached by phone on Thursday evening, a spokeswoman for his legal team said there was no immediate comment on the lawsuit.
His lawyer Mark Geragos said in a letter to the city last week that claims Smollett made the entire thing up were “defamatory”, accusing Chicago of trying to “harass” Smollett and pointing to the dismissal of charges as proof he was innocent.
Unless the case is settled beforehand, the lawsuit would eventually go before a jury, which would have to decide if the city or Smollett is right.
Under the city code, Chicago could triple the amount the city originally demanded that Smollett pay to more than 390,000 US dollars (£300,000). If Smollett refuses to pay after a verdict in the city’s favour, his bank accounts could be frozen.
Smollett admitted no wrongdoing, but agreed to do some community service before charges were dropped. He also agreed to forfeit 10,000 dollars (£7,600) in bond money, which the city could use against him in the civil case as an implied admission of guilt.
Evidence sealed in the criminal case could be unsealed in the civil case and be presented at trial. Smollett could also be required to sit for depositions, forcing him for the first time to explain evidence that the city says shows he was lying.
To the city’s advantage, the threshold for proof will be lower than in criminal court. The city will not have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt Smollett staged the attack in civil court, only that it is more likely true than not true that he did.
Among the risks for the city is that the civil litigation could end up costing far more in legal bills than it could ever hope to get from Smollett.