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Jussie Smollett Charges Dropped

By George Khoury, Esq. on April 01, 2019 | Last updated on April 04, 2019

It was just announced that the charges against former-Empire actor Jussie Smollett have been dropped. In case you missed this headline-shattering, viral news, basically, Smollett was attacked by two people purporting to be Trump supporters and shouting racist stuff, but it turns out that Smollett may have had a hand in orchestrating the attack.

And while he may be catching a break from Chicago prosecutors, many others aren’t planning on letting the actor off lightly for his allegedly staged hate-crime. Even the mayor is joining the pile on. 

Forfeiting Bond

Most notably, Smollett’s had to accept a few conditions for the dismissal, including forfeiting his $10,000 bond paid to secure his appearance in court. And curiously, we'll likely never know the truth as to why the charges were dropped as the record of Smollett’s case was sealed.

The city of Chicago’s police superintendent blasted the decision to drop the charges as he believes it sends a strong signal that the wealthy can get away with crime. Conversely though, Smollett’s attorney blasted the police for presuming Smollett’s guilt and forcing him to go through the court of public opinion, which was not friendly and ended up costing him his job.

Innocent Until the Public Hears About It

Unfortunately for Smollett, in this day and age, with information traveling as fast as the internet will carry it, the public rush to judgment happens in near real-time regardless of the truth.

Smollett’s case was a big rollercoaster as one day the world was upset that such an attack would occur, but then those feelings got flipped around when stories broke that Smollett allegedly knew his attackers, who were actually brothers from Nigeria, that he allegedly paid to attack him.

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