The Illinois Supreme Court has overturned Jussie Smollett’s hate crime hoax conviction.
The former Empire star was convicted on five counts of disorderly conduct in 2021 for falsely calling the police to his Chicago home and claiming that two masked MAGA strangers attacked him on the street, poured bleach on him, and hurled slurs at him.
As the investigation continued, it was revealed that Smollett reportedly paid two Nigerian brothers $3500 to carry out the “attack.”
“Today we resolve a question about the State’s responsibility to honor the agreements it makes with defendants,” the court wrote in documents.
“Specifically, 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 defendant’s conviction.”
