Jussie Smollett Faces Civil Lawsuit That Could Get Him Fired From ‘Empire’

The Cook County state’s attorney may have dropped all charges against Empire star Jussie Smollett this week, but his legal battle isn’t over quite yet. On Thursday, the city of Chicago sent Smollett a letter demanding $130,000 to cover the cost of the investigation into his January 29 attack, which police claim he staged with two Nigerian brothers. According to TMZ, if Smollett does not deliver the money in seven days, Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to file a civil suit — a process that could end in the star turning over his Empire salary and losing his role on the show.

According to the letter, which was obtained by TMZ, the city of Chicago is demanding $130,106.15 to cover “overtime hours in the investigation of this matter.” City officials are asking to receive the money within seven days, particularly if Smollett would like to “resolve this matter without further legal action.” The letter goes on to threaten the Empire star with legal action in the event he does not pay, saying, “If the amount is not timely paid, the Department of Law may prosecute you for making a false statement to the City under section 1-21-010 of the Municipal Code of Chicago or pursue any other legal remedy available at law.”

TMZ reports that Smollett’s legal team has already rejected the request. They continue to champion the actor’s innocence, telling CNN earlier this week, “It is the Mayor and the Police Chief who owe Jussie — owe him an apology — for dragging an innocent man’s character through the mud.”

According to sources close to Emanuel, the mayor’s office plans to file a civil suit to obtain the $130,000 from Smollett. If Smollett attempts to fight the suit, the case will play out in court: a judge will rule whether or not the Empire star faked his attack before deciding if he is required to pay restitution to the city of Chicago. This verdict would likely affect his future on the Fox drama (he has already been written out of the final two episodes in Season 5), particularly as producers wait to see if the show will be renewed for a sixth season.

But that’s not the only consequence of a potential civil suit. TMZ reports that if Smollett loses the suit and still refuses to pay, “the City can execute on the judgement,” meaning that it could garnish wages from Empire or freeze his bank accounts.

Empire has yet to comment on Smollett’s status now that the charges have been dropped, but Fox and 20th Century Fox TV released a brief statement Tuesday afternoon expressing their relief that the scandal has (for now) come to an end. Read the joint statement, “Jussie Smollett has always maintained his innocence and we are gratified that all charges against him have been dismissed.”

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