The brothers who allegedly helped Empire actor Jussie Smollett stage an assault are suing Smollett’s lawyers, TMZ reports.
Ola and Abel Osundairo are taking Mark Geragos and Tina Glandian to court for defamation, claiming the attorneys lied to the media and made it look as if the Osundairo brothers were genuinely responsible for the homophobic and racist attack on Smollett. The brothers are seeking unspecified damages, per The Blast.
According to TMZ, the brothers filed the case in Chicago, alleging Smollett “used his clout as a wealthy actor to influence [the brothers] who were in a subordinate relationship to him and were aspiring to ‘make it.’”
The suit claims that after the charges against Smollett were dropped, Glandian appeared on Good Morning America, the Today Show, and the Reasonable Doubt podcast and told a series of lies, including the brothers might have worn whiteface during the attack, and they were embroiled in an illegal Nigerian steroid trafficking ring.
Additionally, the lawsuit states that Glandian suggested Abel and Smollett had engaged in “homosexual sex acts together,” The Blast reports. “Ms. Glandian’s globally broadcasted statements that [Abel] Osundairo is homosexual endangers him and the lives of his Nigerian family,” the lawsuit reads.
For Geragos’ part, the suit alleges he “repeatedly indicated that plaintiffs conspired to criminally attack Mr. Smollett, and by doing so, implied plaintiffs committed perjury” to the Grand Jury and colluded to make false statements to Chicago police. The suit adds the brothers didn’t know Smollett would go to the cops and that the “attack” was staged for social media.
The brothers didn’t sue Smollett, who claimed Ola and Abel assaulted him in a racist and homophobic attack.
Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx is still catching flack for dismissing the criminal case against Smollett last month. She has reportedly received multiple, “racially charged” threats via email and phone since then, Deadline reports.
Foxx has been criticized for her decision to drop the case, which she recused herself from early on. However, documents obtained by the Chicago Tribune show text messages where she continued to offer advice on the case to her staffers, calling Smollett a “washed up celeb who lied to cops.”
Smollett advocated for his innocence throughout the case and ultimately pleaded not guilty. On March 26, the state’s attorney’s office subsequently dismissed criminal charges against him after he agreed to give up his $10,000 bail and perform community service. Now, the city is suing him in civil court to recoup over $130,000 it purportedly spent on police overtime hours while investigating the case.
