According to CBS2 Chicago, dozens of workers and nurses at Northwestern Hospital may have been fired for inappropriately accessing Jussie Smollett's medical records. The Empire actor was treated at the medical facility after allegedly being attacked by two men in January.
The employees reportedly gained access to Smollett's medical chart after he had been accused of staging the attack. One of the nurses who was terminated claimed the entire incident was a misunderstanding and simply glanced at the record while looking for another patient's information. Nevertheless, she was fired last week for allegedly viewing the actor's charts. She is appealing the termination and says many other hospital workers may have been let go for the same reason.
On Jan. 29, Smollett was rushed to Northwestern after he had been allegedly attacked and put in a noose by two unknown men screaming racial and homophobic slurs at him. Many fans and celebrities took to social media to condemn the hate crime, and display their support for the Empire actor. However, following an investigation conducted by Chicago police, Smollett was charged for allegedly orchestrating the stunt and hiring the men to stage an attack.
Many reports have attempted to pinpoint why Smollett would attempt to pull off such a hoax, suggesting it may have been an effort to secure more pay on the Foxseries, or simply to garner more publicity. Empire producers have stated they don't believe Smollett's alleged plot had to do with his compensation, as he never indicated he was dissatisfied by his rate.
But according to Chicago police, there's "a lot more evidence" that has yet to be shared with the public, that suggests Smollett staged the assault nearly two months ago. The police Chief did reiterate that Smollett, like any person who has not been tried for a crime, remains under the "presumption of innocence." Many celebrities have come to Smollett's defense, despite the mounting evidence against him, including Queen Latifah and Empire co-star Terrence Howard.
