Jussie Smollett settled his civil dispute with Chicago with Chicago after his 2024 disclaimer and donated $10,000 to the Police Violence Support Team.
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Jussie Smollett announced a donation of $10,000 with the City of Chicago and nonprofits on Tuesday (May 21), notified $10,000 in support of survivors of police violence, and announced a donation of $10,000 to a nonprofit.
The 41-year-old former Empire actor agreed to pay $50,000 to build a brighter futures center in Chicago’s art, a Chicago-based group that mentors underserved youth through creative programs.
The payment resolves a civil case that was filed by city officials seeking reimbursement to investigate the cost of Smollett’s widely publicized 2019 attack claim, which police allegedly staged.
Smollett also revealed that he made a $10,000 donation to the Chicago Torture Prusind Center, a group that provides mental health and legal support to victims of police misconduct.
Donations come with a sharp message.
“I’m glad to have the resources to defend myself. So many people don’t. They were backed off to take on the deal or admit crimes they didn’t actually commit,” Smollett wrote in a statement to Instagram.
He added: “Although I was stripped of the Illinois Supreme Court in a unanimous ruling and will now be dismissed for civil cases, I know that it won’t change the attacks everyone has experienced on me or me.”
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Smollett’s legal trouble began in January 2019 when he told police that he was a victim of racist and homosexual attacks in downtown Chicago.
A few weeks later, authorities accused him of planning the incident and charged him with multiple felony crimes. He was convicted in 2021 but remained innocent.
In a major reversal, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 2024, citing procedural errors during the prosecution.
The ruling cleared Smallert’s criminal misconduct, although public opinion remains divided.
Smallert declared himself “innocent in the eyes of God” and “the criminal justice system,” and hopes his donations will help the community “recover from violence at the Chicago Police Department.”
“For anyone who has to prove that they are actually being violated, you know it can be difficult to navigate. I stand with you,” he wrote.
