The Illinois Supreme Court has upheld an appeal filed by actor Jussie Smollett in a case involving a staged attack on himself in 2022.
In March 2022, a US court sentenced Smollett to 150 days in prison for faking an attack on him by “Trump supporters.” The Chicago sentence also included 30 months of probation and ordered the actor to pay $145,000 in restitution and fines. In March 2023, the New York Post reported that Smollett had filed an appeal.
According to the ruling, two cases were opened against Smollett on the same grounds, with the second one appearing after the first was dismissed. The judges hearing the appeal decided that opening a second case under the circumstances was a violation, which is grounds for upholding the appeal.
In 2019, Smollett, known for his role in the series “Empire”, said that he was attacked by two supporters of then-President Donald Trump, who allegedly beat him for being African-American and gay. Many in American society actively supported Smollett. The actor was soon arrested on charges that he staged the attack, hiring two locals for this purpose. Chicago police said they spent more than 3,000 hours investigating the failed crime.