Lawyers for Jussie Smollett has filed an appeal of his December 2021 conviction. The conviction was for fabricating a racist and homophobic attack on himself and then lying to Chicago police about it.
The former “Empire” actor was found guilty on five counts of disorderly conduct and sentenced to 150 days in jail. Alongside this, he got a two-year probation, a $25,000 fine, and restitution of over $120,000.
Smollett’s legal team is now seeking to overturn the conviction and avoid his sentence. In their 102-page appellate brief, they argue that “clear and egregious” prosecutorial misconduct deprived Smollett of his constitutional rights to due process and a fair trial. They claim that a defence witness was pressured to change his statement and are calling for a new trial.
In January 2019, Smollett told Chicago police that he had been attacked by two brothers. He said the brothers had hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him. Asides from this, he claimed that they put a rope around his neck. He was later accused of paying the men to stage the attack. During the trial, the brothers testified that Smollett paid them $3,500 for the fake hate crime. However, Smollett denied doing any such thing.
The case has been highly controversial and has attracted widespread media attention, with supporters of Smollett arguing that he was the victim of a hate crime and detractors claiming that he staged the attack to advance his career.
In any case, the appellate court will now consider the arguments of Jussie Smollett’s legal team and decide whether to grant a new trial.
