The city had originally filed a civil lawsuit aiming to recoup more than $120,000 spent on the investigation of Smollett’s fabricated attack. Back in 2021, Smollett was convicted on five felony counts of disorderly conduct connected to the false report. But in 2023, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned his conviction after he reached a plea deal with Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. The agreement required him to complete community service and give up his $10,000 bond.

Special Prosecutor Dan K. Webb emphasized at the time, “Make no mistake, today’s ruling has nothing to do with Mr. Smollett’s innocence. The Illinois Supreme Court did not find any error with the overwhelming evidence presented at trial… or the jury’s unanimous verdict.”

Under the terms of this latest arrangement, Smollett is not admitting guilt. Instead, the city agreed to accept the donation as a way to avoid further legal action. This settlement closes the chapter on the costly civil lawsuit tied to the high-profile case involving the former ‘Empire’ actor.

According to NBC, the settlement details have not been disclosed as each party needs “additional time is needed” to finalize the documentation.

Filed in January 2019, the city’s suit accused him of planning the attack, and “it sought $130,000 in expenses spent on the police investigation.”

In response, Smollett had filed a countersuit denying that he conceived the plot of the attack, and also denied making a false police report.

Both the city and Smollett told the court on Monday that they have settled “but need more time to finalize documentation.”

After Smollett testified to police that he was the victim of a hate crime for being Black and gay, he claimed that two men, brothers Ola and Abimbola Osundairo, attacked him, and they were arrested. Police later said Smollett paid the brothers to help him stage the attack.

In February 2019, Smollett was arrested and indicted by a grand jury in March on “suspicion of filing a false police report.” Eventually,  Cook County State Attorney Kimberly Foxx dropped the charges. 

When a special prosecutor took up the case in February 2020, Smollett was charged with six disorderly conduct counts and went to trial.

In December 2021,  Smollett was found guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct for making false reports about a fake anti-gay/Black crime.

In March 2022, he was sentenced to 150 days in jail, 30 months of probation, and ordered to pay restitution of more than $120,000 and a $25,000 fine.

The court’s ruling spares Smollett from serving his original 150-day jail sentence, imposed in 2022 for allegedly staging a hate crime against himself. Instead, the court focused on an earlier deal struck between Smollett and State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, which required him to forfeit his $10,000 bond and complete 15 hours of community service. Having fulfilled these terms, the court ruled he should not have been prosecuted again. Smollett previously received a 30-month probation sentence as part of the overturned conviction.

“The State is bound by the agreement,” the Illinois Supreme Court wrote, emphasizing the importance of honoring plea deals. Notably, the court did not weigh in on the details of the allegations but instead centered its decision on the validity of the original agreement.

While this legal victory is a significant relief for Smollett, it comes amid troubling news for his family. Reports indicate that two men recently attempted to break into his mother’s Los Angeles home. However, she confronted them, and they fled the scene.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, the former “Empire” star continues to maintain his innocence and is fighting to ensure that the truth of what took place on that fateful night will finally come out and avoid being labeled a felon.

“I want to have all of these things in my life, and I don’t want to have a felony on my record for something that I didn’t do,” Smollett said. “That’s what we’re fighting for. I know that on the surface it probably seems like why doesn’t he just serve the time, why doesn’t he just let this go. It would be easier if I had in fact done this to say that I did it. I wouldn’t have spent almost $3 million of my own money. I wouldn’t have had a trial.”

“But as a human being and as a man, as a Black man and as an openly gay Black man, I have a problem with letting them win on something they shouldn’t be able to. I’m a grown man and something happened. I can’t tell exactly what did happen, but I can tell you what did not happen,” the actor explained. “That’s what I have to sit on. No matter how much people are yelling in my face, saying ‘You’re a liar, you’re a liar.’ No, I’m not, No, I’m not. I don’t want them to believe that, but if that is what they believe, that’s on you.”

‘Good morning America’ interview:

Smollett admitted that there are “a million things” that he would have changed in his handling of the incident including his interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America.

“I wish I hadn’t done the interview,” Smollett said. “I never wanted to, I watched it, and I was mortified.”

Last year, Smollett reportedly checked himself into a rehabilitation facility to deal with his substance abuse issues.

“I’ve wanted to do it for a number of years. And to be quite honest, I was told that I couldn’t,” Smollett shared.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Smollett claims that he’s never changed his story about the night in question although he was found guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct for making false reports about a fake racist, homophobic crime. 

“I’ve stood by, not my truth but the truth for the entire time, almost six years,” Smollett said. “I haven’t switched my story up- I haven’t changed anything that I ever said. I stand by every single thing that I’ve ever said. Everyone else in the situation, every single person, has changed their story numerous times.”

Along with fighting to clear his name, Smollett is promoting his new film The Lost Holliday, which he stars in, directed, co-wrote, and produced.

Also starring Vivica Fox, the film was released in selected theaters on September 27, 2024.

In a new documentary, the brothers say they were hired by Smollett and paid $3,500 to attack him in what is said to be a staged hate crime. The brothers say they met up with Jussie at 2AM in Chicago, and “executed” the attack.

Th detail the full event including yelling the racial slurs that Jussie prompted them to say. They also explain that Jussie told them to leave their phones at home as he didn’t want them to “lose” their phones.

We previously reported that Jussie is appealing his 150-day jail sentence after being found guilty in 2021.

According to CNN, attorneys for the actor appealed the conviction and are requesting a new trial. “In the present case, instances of prosecutorial misconduct were clear and egregious,” the document stated. “Mr. Smollett’s constitutional rights to due process and to a fair trial were denied by prosecutorial misconduct including allegations that a defense witness was pressured to change his statement…and shifting the burden during closing arguments.”

Smollett’s team argues that his sentence is too harsh. Back in 2019, the actor was reportedly attacked by two men verbally and physically in Chicago. Smollett alleged that the men put a noose around his neck and poured bleach on him.

He was sentenced to 30 months of felony probation and 150 days in jail in March 2022.

According to CNN, attorneys for the actor appealed the conviction and are requesting a new trial. “In the present case, instances of prosecutorial misconduct were clear and egregious,” the document stated. “Mr. Smollett’s constitutional rights to due process and to a fair trial were denied by prosecutorial misconduct including allegations that a defense witness was pressured to change his statement…and shifting the burden during closing arguments.”

Smollett’s team argues that his sentence is too harsh. Back in 2019, the actor was reportedly attacked by two men verbally and physically in Chicago. Smollett alleged that the men put a noose around his neck and poured bleach on him.

Evidence reportedly showed that Smollett actually paid the men $3500 to stage the hate crime. The actor was found guilty in December 2021. He was sentenced to 30 months of felony probation and 150 days in jail in March 2022.

Smollett maintains his innocence, during an interview on Sway in the Morning, Smollett expresses, “If I had done this, I’d be a piece of sh*t. …”he says. “That’s not really questionable. If I had done something like this, it would mean that I stuck my fist in the pain of Black Americans in this country for over 400 years. We’re not even talking about in Africa because that’s an even deeper, larger conversation. It would mean that I stuck my fist in the fears of the LGBTQ community all over the world. I’m not that motherfucker.”