Posted on 03/18/2022 12:32:35 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
CHICAGO (AP) — A judge in Chicago ruled Friday that an attorney for Jussie Smollett might have defamed two Black brothers who testified that they participated in a fake racist and homophobic attack on the actor when she suggested they had been wearing “whiteface.”
U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland’s ruling centers on comments Tina Glandian made on NBC’s “Today” show in March 2019, shortly after the Cook County State’s Attorney announced it was dropping charges accusing Smollett of lying to police about the incident two months earlier.
Discussing how Smollett had told police that one of his attackers was white, Glandian said that the very dark-skinned brothers might have “put makeup on” to disguise their color. Further, she criticized Chicago police for their alleged failure to investigate an online video showing one of the brothers “in whiteface doing a joke monologue with white makeup on.”
Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo filed a defamation lawsuit, alleging that the comments were part of a effort to portray them as racist, homophobic and violent men who truly attacked Smollett.
On Friday, Rowland suggested that Glandian’s comments could be seen as defamatory.
“Taken in context, Glandian was asserting plaintiffs’ involvement in a racially motivated attack,” Rowland wrote. “Explaining that the attackers were white, read in context, adds the implication that the attack was a hate crime.”
The ruling means that the defamation count against Glandian could go to trial.
”They look forward to their day in court and will continue defending themselves against other defamatory remarks,” the brothers’ attorney, Gloria Rodriguez, told the Chicago Tribune.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
It would be interesting to see how this is argued.
But I hope they clean him out, anyway.
when are they going to sue Jessie?
I misread and thought they were. And they should.
I hope they bring up the anthrax death threat.
Smollett better get a new job to pay what will be large damage claims. Could he get best actress in “Prison Princess”?
Yes
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