CHICAGO — A federal judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss Chicago’s lawsuit against former Empire actor Jussie Smollett.
U.S. District Virginia Kendall’s ruling means that Chicago’s suit that seeks to recoup $130,000 that city officials say the Police Department spent investigating Smollett’s claim that he was a victim of a racist and homophobic attack in January can proceed.
The motion by the former Empire actor’s attorneys was a longshot because their argument boiled down to the contention that Smollett shouldn’t be required to reimburse the department because he couldn’t have known how much time and money would be spent on an investigation.
Police conducted an exhaustive investigation that included nearly 1,900 hours of overtime as they looked into Smollett’s claim that he was beaten by two masked men on a downtown Chicago street in January and that they used racist and homophobic slurs and looped a noose around his neck before fleeing.
Although Smollett has maintained his innocence, the Police Department is adamant that there is a mountain of evidence that shows Smollett staged the attack.