WTF! Jussie Smollett’s homophobic assault hoax overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court, and more news

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Jussie Smollettโ€™s legal journey took a dramatic turn as his conviction has been overturned. The Illinois Supreme Court made this landmark decision in Smollettโ€™s favor on Thursday, November 21, 2024.

โ€œToday we resolve a question about the Stateโ€™s responsibility to honor the agreements it makes with defendants,โ€ Justice Elizabeth Rochford wrote in the ruling. โ€œSpecifically, we address whether a dismissal of a case by nolle prosequi allows the State to bring a second prosecution when the dismissal was entered as part of an agreement with the defendant and the defendant has performed his part of the bargain. We hold that a second prosecution under these circumstances is a due process violation, and we therefore reverse the defendantโ€™s conviction.โ€

The former Empire star, 42, had previously faced conviction for allegedly orchestrating what was reported as a racist and homophobic attack in 2019. Smollett, who identifies as gay, had reported being attacked by two individuals in Chicago. The situation later flipped when authorities accused him of fabricating the incident, leading to his arrest and felony disorderly conduct charges for filing a false police report.

In a twist of events, while initial charges against Smollett were dropped, a special prosecutor later brought new charges, suggesting that Smollett was aware โ€œthat he was not the victim of a crime.โ€ Throughout this ordeal, Smollett maintained his innocence and entered a not guilty plea.

Read more at Page Six


Plus, Matt Gaetz, Nikki Garcia, Artem Chigvintsev, Chrissy Teigen news, and more! Keep scrolling to check out todayโ€™s entertainment and pop culture news.

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