Nearly a year after Jussie Smollett first told police that two men walked up to him, yelled racial and homophobic slurs, hit him in the face, poured bleach on him, and put a rope around his neck, a legal battle is brewing between the former “Empire” star and the City of Chicago — which is accusing him of faking a hate crime even though charges against the actor have been dropped.
What the city isn’t dropping is its $130,106-lawsuit against Smollett for the investigation it conducted after the actor made the alleged false claim in January.
In November, Smollett went on the offensive for the first time since he was accused of perpetrating the hoax, turning the tables by accusing the city and multiple police officers of malicious prosecution.
Smollett still insists he is innocent of the original charges.
