Another weekend of protests has gone by with several cities, including Los Angeles, marking their largest turn-outs yet. In Chicago, Jussie Smollett is using the protests in an attempt to communicate his own legal difficulties, filing new legal documents and somehow associating his own falsely-reported hate crime to George Floyd’s murder.

According to TMZ, the former Empire actor has filed legal documents referencing the current protests and claiming they reflect the police’s behavior in his own case.

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“As we see millions across the country rise up to protest and expose police misconduct, the City, by its refusal to produce the requested documents, is choosing to actively resist a citizen’s lawful efforts to reveal dishonesty,” says Smollett in these papers.

The city of Chicago is suing Smollett for $130K to make back the cost of their investigation into his alleged fake hate crime. The actor is fighting back by claiming that the city is refusing to hand him over vital documents for his defense.

He is reportedly specifically looking for documents about the termination of Chicago PD Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who was involved in the case.

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Jussie Smollett has maintained his innocence since last year, claiming that he did not lie about the attack.

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Once again, Jussie Smollett has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. The embattled Empire actor faced Cook County Judge James B. Lin where he entered a not guilty plea after charges related to the 2019 alleged hate crime were refiled against him. "You need to come back to court and you’re required to do so,” Linn asked Smollett. “Do you understand?” The actor responded with a simple nod. The actor also filed a motion to have the case dismissed. PageSix reports that he was released on $20K bond. He is expected to return to court on March 18th.

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TMZ reports that the indictment lists his newly filed charges as "disorderly conduct" related to allegations of lying to police. Special prosecutor Dan Webb claimed the actor "planned and participated in a staged hate crime attack, and thereafter made numerous false statements to Chicago Police Dept. officers." 

Abel and Ola Osundairo, the brothers who were allegedly involved in Jussie's plot, were in attendance at Jussie's arraignment, although they didn't need to be. Gloria Schmidt, lawyer for the brothers, said that they're willing to cooperate with police and testify against Smollett. "They're lives have been put on hold for this moment and for this process," Schmidt told reporters after the hearing. "They will be here until the very end of this process." 

One of the biggest stories of 2019 is carrying on into this year as it has just been revealed that Jussie Smollett, the Empire actor who falsely accused two men of carrying out a racist attack on him in the streets of Chicago, has been indicted on new charges related to the crime.

You surely remember Jussie Smollett’s name being in the news last year after he filed a police report, which was later proven to be untrue, alleging that he was beat down by two men who targeted him because of his race and sexuality. Smollett has maintained his innocence throughout the last twelve months, even going so far as to sue the city of Chicago for allegedly creating a false narrative surrounding his case. After it was reported that a special prosecutor had been assigned to Smollett’s case by a Cook County judge, a decision has been reached by Dan Webb.

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According to ABC News, Jussie Smollett has officially been indicted on new charges after the investigation was re-opened related to his 2019 alleged attack. All charges against the actor were previously dropped but this likely means that time in jail is a possibility for Smollett. This story is developing and exact details are not currently available. Stay tuned for updates.