Jussie Smollett will donate $50,000 to Chicago Charity as part of the settlement

After reaching a settlement with the city of Chicago earlier this month, Jussy Smollett I agreed to make a charity donation of $50,000 to file a lawsuit against him.

“After it was reported that I had jumped over six years ago, Chicago city officials tried to convince the public that I had deliberately set an attack on myself,” Smollett said in a lengthy statement to Fox News Digital.

“Today, that should be clear. … They have not received either. The decision to settle the civil suit was given the opportunity to make a charitable contribution in exchange for a dismissed case after repeated refusing to pay the city.”

Jussie Smollett settles with Chicago after a hate crime hoax conviction is overturned

Smollett, a black and gay man, was originally reported to Chicago police and he was his victim. Racist and homophobic attacks By two men wearing ski masks in January 2019. He was convicted of staging a hate crime in 2021, but his conviction was overturned in November 2024.

In April 2019, the city of Chicago filed a lawsuit against Smollett to recover police costs investigating the alleged attack. The actor told Fox News Digital “despite the political events,” but he still has a place in the heart of the city.

“Therefore, we will make a donation for profit. Chicago Community It is always something I support that too often is ignored by those in power. “I donated $50,000 to Building Fright Futures (BBF) Center for the Arts, a local nonprofit that does an incredible job of fostering self-expression, creativity and exploration in Chicago Youth art. This organization is my choice and I am comforted by the experience that there is at least one winner.”

Despite the criminal charges being overturned and civil suits being dismissed, Smollett said, “I know that it doesn’t change everyone’s minds about me or the attacks I have experienced. Criminal Justice System. ”

Now he said, he will focus on moving forward.

“I will continue to make my art, fight passionately for what I cherish, defending my integrity and last name with truth,” said the previous “Empire” star.

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In addition to the $50,000 he donated as part of the settlement, Smollett also said he has donated $10,000 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center.

“I know how difficult this is for those who have had to prove that they’re actually being breached. I’ll stand with you,” Smollett said of the donation.

In a statement of Chicago Sun Times“The city believes that this settlement will provide a fair, constructive and decisive resolution and enable all parties to close this six-year-old chapter and move forward.”

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The criminal charges against Smollett were originally deleted in March 2019, a month after his arrest. The Empire star was convicted of five felony counts in December 2021 after special prosecutor Kim Fox called for a new investigation and was later sentenced to 150 days in the county jail. The Illinois Supreme Court decided in November 2024 that the special prosecutor’s decision to retry Smollett with the charges. Infringed his rights.

“Today, we will resolve questions about the state’s responsibility to respect the agreement with the defendant,” Smollett’s attorney Mark Jelagos told Fox News Digital at the time. “We believe that a second prosecution based on these circumstances is a due process violation, and therefore reverses the defendant’s conviction.”

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“This is not a fact-based prosecution, but rather an obsessive persecution, and such procedures have no place in our criminal justice system,” Smollett’s lawyer, Neny Uche, told Fox in a statement. “In the end, we are pleased that the rule of law was a major winner today. We are grateful to the Illinois Supreme Court for restoring Illinois’ orders to jurisdiction in criminal law.”

Lauryn Overhultz of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.