Jussie Smollett 'will not be intimidated into paying' $130,000 to Chicago for investigation, lawyer says.
Smollett missed the deadline, and the city threatened a lawsuit on Thursday. A day later, a lawyer for the actor responded by saying Smollett "will not be intimidated into paying the demanded sum."
"Mr. Smollett vehemently denies making any false statement to the City of Chicago, or to any individuals investigating" the alleged attack, attorney Mark Geragos said in a statement addressed to Chicago's Department of Law on Friday. "All criminal charges against Mr. Smollett from this incident have been dismissed and his record has been sealed. Thus, your claim that Mr. Smollett filed a false police report and orchestrated his own attack is false and defamatory.
Geragos' letter followed a statement from Bill McCaffrey, a Department of Law spokesperson, issued Thursday night that said: "Mr. Smollett has refused to reimburse the City of Chicago for the cost of police overtime spent investigating his false police report on January 29, 2019. The Law Department is now drafting a civil complaint that will be filed in the Circuit Court of Cook Country.
The lawsuit would be filed "in the near future" and the city "will pursue the full measure of damages allowed under the ordinance," McCaffrey concluded.
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