Jussie Smollett’s legal troubles just got worse after a Chicago judge ordered his criminal files unsealed.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx dropped all charges against the actor on March 26, after he was arrested for filing a false police report.
Smollett, 36, told police he was attacked by 2 Trump supporters in a racist, anti-homosexual hate crime outside his Chicago condo on Jan. 29.
After conferring with Michelle Obama’s former White House aide, Tina Chen, Kim Foxx asked a judge to seal Smollett’s criminal records from prying eyes. The files were immediately deleted from the Cook County computer network, and his lawyer declared the actor’s criminal record was “wiped clean”.
But Cook County Judge Steven Watkins ordered the case files unsealed on Thursday, saying the public’s right to the material outweighed Smollet’s privacy claim.
Foxx previously recused herself from the case, a day before Smollett was arrested in February for lying to the police in February. She later admitted she was still actively involved in Smollett’s case.
At an emergency hearing on March 26, Smollett agreed to forfeit $10,000 – 10 percent of his $100,000 million bond, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Smollett walked out of the courtroom that day a free man. He told the stunned press that he was innocent of all charges and wrongly accused of staging a hoax.
“I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I’ve been accused of,” he told reporters outside the courthouse that day.
The police union and then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel were furious. Chicago officials said they believe Smollett staged the Jan. 29 attack and lied about it to boost his celebrity status and to increase his salary on Empire.
Smollett’s scenes were cut from all but the final 2 episodes. Fox TV announced Empire will be canceled after the 6th season.
