“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he staged a hate-crime attack on himself in the Streeterville neighborhood Jan. 29.
Smollett’s case was assigned to Judge Steven Watkins, who told the actor he must be present and on time for every court date.
Smollett will be allowed to travel to New York and California to meet with his lawyers as long as he notifies the court 48 hours ahead of time.
His next court date is April 17.
A Cook County grand jury indictment, made public on Friday, charged Smollett with disorderly conduct for each crime he said he had suffered, with separate counts related to statements he made the night of Jan. 29 to a police officer, and then for repeating the same account to a detective the same night. The charges all are Class 4 felonies, the lowest category of felony offense under Illinois law.
In a statement, Smollett’s attorney Mark Geragos said while the indictment was “not unexpected. . . . What is unexpected, however, is the prosecutorial overkill in charging 16 separate counts.”
TIMELINE: The Jussie Smollett investigation
