The Illinois Supreme Court will hear an appeal of actor Jussie Smollett's disorderly conduct conviction for staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019, then lying to Chicago police about it. The court Wednesday accepted the appeal from Smollett. It will review a December state appellate court ruling that upheld his 2021 conviction by a Cook County jury. There is no date set for the high court to hear arguments in the matter. A special prosecutor refiled charges against Smollett after Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx dropped the case and Smollett forfeited his $10,000 bond and conducted community service, which Smollett argues ended the case. In a 2-1 decision, the state's First District Appellate Court dismissed those claims, declaring that no one promised Smollett he wouldn't face a fresh prosecution after accepting the original deal. Justice Freddrenna Lyle dissented, calling the refiled charges "fundamentally unfair." His attorneys have argued that Smollett, who is Black and gay, has been victimized by a racist and politicized justice system. Smollett was found guilty of five counts of disorderly conduct for setting up the attack in which he claimed two men assaulted him on a Chicago street. He was sentenced to 150 days in jail -- six of which he served before he was freed pending appeal -- 30 months of probation and ordered to pay $130,160 in restitution.
Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. has been named as a co-defendant in a lawsuit brought against hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. The lawsuit, which was brought in February by producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, was amended Monday to list Gooding as a defendant, Jones' lawyer Tyrone Blackburn confirmed Tuesday in an email to The Times. Jones accused Gooding of fondling him, which made the producer "extremely uncomfortable." Although Jones claimed he rejected the actor's advances, Gooding "did not stop until Mr. Jones forcibly pushed him away." "As the owner of the property, Mr. Combs had a duty to protect Mr. Jones from the harm he suffered at the hands of Cuba Gooding Jr.," the complaint said. "Mr. Combs encouraged Cuba Gooding Jr. to continue his assault on Mr. Jones when he said that Cuba Gooding Jr. should privately get to know Mr. Jones better." Representatives for Gooding did not immediately respond Tuesday to The Times' request for comment. Gooding, 56, has separately pleaded guilty to forcible touching and settled a rape lawsuit last year. In the 105-page complaint, Blackburn said Jones' "life has been detrimentally impacted ever since" he agreed to produce the album in August 2022.