The strange saga of Jussie Smollett just got a little stranger.
Olabinjo ‘Ola’ Osundairo and Abimbola ‘Bola’ Osundairo — the Nigerian brothers who allegedly helped Smollett fake a hate crime the actor still claims was carried out by white Donald Trump supporters — are suing Jussie Smollett’s lawyers for defamation.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Chicago on Tuesday, details how Smollett’s lawyers helped the “Empire” star carry out his “hate hoax.”
Smollett originally claimed earlier this year that he was attacked in the early morning in Chicago by two white men wearing Make America Great Again hats. The actor, who is an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, alleged that the men tried to lynch him and used homophobic and racist language while assaulting him — Smollett is a black and gay man.
After an investigation by the Chicago police, detectives determined that Smollett had staged the attack on himself. Video of the Nigerian brothers buying rope and ski masks shortly before the attack were released, and then the men — who had been extras on “Empire” at one point — were cooperating with the police.
VIDEO: A CCTV footage of the brothers who say Jussie Smollett hired them to stage the alleged attack has emerged.
The video shows Ola and Abel Osundairo buying items, which include ski masks, gloves, bandanas, sunglasses and red hats.
Oh @JussieSmollett, why?! pic.twitter.com/NtpjsQdTAc
— Kgopolo Mphela ☕️ (@PhilMphela) February 20, 2019
Smollett was arrested and charged with 17 criminal counts.
In an incredibly controversial move, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office dropped all charges against Smollett in exchange for a $10,000 fine and 16 hours of community service.
Source: Fox News
What displeases the Osundairo brothers so much about Smollett’s actions is that he — and his lawyers — have maintained the actor’s innocence despite the results of a police investigation, the brothers’ confessions, and Smollett’s own story about his attack changing several times.
Through defending their client and his account of the attack, the Osundairo brothers say Smollett’s lawyers have defamed them by spreading lies.
The brothers say in their lawsuit that Smollett’s lawyers have “continued to maintain in media appearances that the brothers were responsible for the attack, with [Smollett attorney Tina] Glandian going so far to suggest the two men may have been wearing ‘whiteface’ to disguise their identities during the attack.”
The brothers’ lawyer, Gloria Schmidt, said in a Tuesday press conference that Smollett and his attorneys maintaining the actor’s innocence has seriously hurt the reputation of the Osundairo men.
“Attorneys Mark Geragos and Tina Glandian, through their continued false statements and hateful rhetoric, have only deepened the damage that was cause by the very first out of 16 counts of lies that were told to the police that started this whole situation,” Glandian said. “They were asked to do something by a friend whom they trusted and at the end of the day that trust was betrayed.”
The brothers released their own public statement in which they further explained their reasons for suing for defamation.
“We have sat back and watched lie after lie being fabricated about us in the media only so one big lie can continue to have light. These lies are destroying our character and reputation and personal life…Those who know us personally know we don’t have hate for anyone. That is not who we are. We try to spread love and positivity. We will no longer sit back and allow these lies to continue,” they said.
The brothers also say in their lawsuit that Smollett’s attorneys have spread lies about their characters and personal lives in order to discredit their stories about Smollett.
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Zachary Leeman is originally from Maine, he served in the United States Army Reserve for six years. He currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
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