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Jussie Smollett’s Case Possibly Re-Open

A Chicago judge will hear arguments today about whether court records pertaining to “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett should be unsealed. In January, Smollett told authorities he was attacked by masked men who put a noose around his neck and called him racial and homophobic slurs.

Smollett was later arrested for filing a false police report and accused of orchestrating the attack. Cook County Prosecutor Kim Foxx was widely criticized for dropping the charges against Smollett, with many accusing her of giving preferential treatment to a celebrity.

“Attorneys for several media outlets requested that the case be unsealed after Cook County prosecutors dropped disorderly conduct charges against the ‘Empire’ actor in March. A judge had granted a motion to seal the case after prosecutors dismissed the charges, prompting the Chicago Police Department to refuse requests for investigative reports,” CBS Chicago reports.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx also has filed a motion to unseal the case so that the Cook County Inspector General’s office can proceed with an investigation into her handling of the case, but her motion would only provide the records to Inspector General Patrick Blanchard.

Smollett avoided criminal prosecution for the alleged hoax, but producers wrote him out of his show, “Empire,” after the scandal. “Empire” has not been renewed by FOX and will end after its sixth season next year.