Smollett’s attorney says they’re weighing up whether to sue

Jussie Smollett’s attorney says they are ‘weighing their options’ on whether or not they will file lawsuits against the city of Chicago or its police department in the wake of the shock decision to drop his charges. 

Smollett’s lawyer Tina Glandian appeared on Good Morning America on Wednesday to plead the star’s case a day after prosecutors dropped all charges related to the hoax race attack.

When asked if they were going to sue, Glandian said: ‘We’re weighing our options now for Jussie.’

‘For now, he just wants his career and his life back. He did not ask for any of this. He was the victim of a crime. This has spiraled out of control and become a political incident.’

Jussie Smollett’s attorney Tina Glandian says they are ‘weighing their options’ on whether or not they will file lawsuits against the city of Chicago or its police department 

Glandian repeatedly insisted that Smollett was innocent and that prosecutors decided to drop the charges because they couldn’t prove he staged the attack on himself.  

It comes despite the Assistant State’s Attorney Joe Magats saying he didn’t believe Smollett was innocent and that he was satisfied with the evidence.  

‘If they believe the charges, they would never have dismissed the case,’ Glandian said. ‘This is such a high profile case. Their actions speak louder than words.’

She claimed that it was the ‘state of Illinois’ that launched the 16 charges against Smollett when in fact it was a grand jury that reached the decision – weeks after prosecutors charged Smollett with just one count.

Glandian said that the reason Smollett and Nigerian brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo were exchanging text messages and phone calls in the hours before and after the January 29 incident was because they were due to meet up for personal training but Smollett’s flight was delayed – something he documented in Instagram stories.

Prosecutors abruptly dropped all charges against Smollett on Tuesday related to his hoax race attack. He is pictured above with his attorney Tina Glandian during the hearing

The attorney also said it was a lie that prosecutors had ‘proof’ Smollett sent himself the threatening letter he received days before the attack.

‘We’re shocked at the mayor and the police superintendent doubling down after the prosecutor took a dispassionate look at the evidence and decided not to bring the charges.’ 

Prosecutors still insist Smollett faked the racist, anti-gay attack on himself in the hopes that the attention would advance his acting career. The Empire star still says he was assaulted by two men late at night in downtown Chicago.

But with little explanation, authorities on Tuesday abruptly dropped all charges against Smollett, abandoning the criminal case only five weeks after the allegations were filed. In return, prosecutors said, the actor agreed to let the city keep his $10,000 in bail.

The dismissal drew a swift backlash from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police chief Eddie Johnson and raised questions about why Smollett was not forced to admit what prosecutors had said they could prove in court – that the entire episode was a publicity stunt.