Guess what, Jussie Smollett. This situation is not going away.
Abel and Ola Osundairo, the brothers involved in the alleged racist and homophobic attack against Smollett, which the Chicago police concluded was a hoax, have sued Smollett’s attorneys for defamation.
Smollett’s attorneys are Tina Glandian and Mark Geragos along with Geragos & Geragos Law Firm. You can view the full complaint at the bottom of this article.
The brothers allege that statements from Glandian and Geragos “impacted the reputation” of the two men, “who are employed and live in Illinois.”
Smollett claimed two white men attacked him in Chicago on January 29. His case immediately fell apart during the Chicago Police Department’s investigation. The evidence they found showed that Smollett concocted the attack and hired the Osundairo brothers to perform it.
CPD placed Smollett under arrest in February. A grand jury indicted him on 16 felony counts.
Cook County’s State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office dropped the charges last month, which led to outrage from the CPD and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The city of Chicago filed a civil lawsuit against Smollett to repay the costs of the investigation.
During the course of the investigation, the Osundairo brothers claim that Smollett’s lawyers smeared them in the media. They allege those smears caused the destruction of their careers. They also feel unsafe in Chicago.
From The Chicago Sun-Times:
The brothers contend in the lawsuit that “Mr. Smollett used his clout as a wealthy actor to influence Plaintiffs, who were in a subordinate relationship to him and were aspiring to ‘make it’ in Hollywood.”The brothers add: “Mr. Smollett’s motivation was simple. He wanted his employer and the public to notice and appreciate him as a successful black, openly gay actor. So, Mr. Smollett directed every aspect of the attack, including the location and the noose.”
Here are a few of the allegations in the complaint regarding Glandian:
Ms. Glandian’s statements indicating Plaintiffs actually criminally battered Mr.Smollett without his consent are patently false and defamatory, as Mr. Smollett originated, planned, and orchestrated the attack.Ms. Glandian, in stating that Plaintiffs criminally battered Mr. Smollett, implicitly proffered that Plaintiffs are guilty of perjuring themselves during the February 20, 2019 grand jury proceedings, and she specifically stated such in media appearances.Indeed, Ms. Glandian’s statements have caused considerable damage to Plaintiffs’ careers, as they have lost talent agent contracts and career opportunities.Thus, Ms. Glandian’s statements have caused Plaintiffs irreparable financial damage.As a result of Ms. Glandian’s comments, Plaintiffs have suffered significant emotional distress and feel unsafe and alienated in their local Chicago community. This is because Ms. Glandian, a very famous attorney, falsely and publicly stated Plaintiffs have committed a gruesome hate crime, lied under oath, and intentionally misled CPD.
The complaints against Glandian mirror those against Geragos.
Here are a few quotes from the attorneys for the Osundairo brothers:
Osundairo brothers lawsuit by on Scribd
[Featured image via YouTube]
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