*The two brothers who allegedly helped Jussie Smollett stage a hate crime attack on himself are suing two of the “Empire” actor’s attorneys for defamation.
Ola and Abel Osundairo accuse famed attorney Mark Geragos and Tina Glandian of falsely accusing them of perpetuating the assault late January in Chicago.
Smollett was charged for filing a false police report claiming he was attacked by two masked men shouting racist and anti-gay slurs, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
But cops determined he paid the brothers to help him stage the attack in an elaborate hoax because he was unhappy with his “Empire” salary and wanted sympathy to secure a fatter paycheck.
The actor was hit with 16 felony disorderly conduct charges before prosecutors suddenly, and without warning, dropped the charges.
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Meanwhile, Ola and Abel are pissed they have been portrayed as homophobic and racist, TMZ reports.
The brothers filed the case in Chicago federal court, claiming Jussie “used his clout as a wealthy actor to influence [the brothers] who were in a subordinate relationship to him and were aspiring to ‘make it.'”
The suit cites Glandian’s appearance on ‘GMA,’ “Today” and the Reasonable Doubt podcast where she claimed the brothers wore whiteface during the attack and are connected to an illegal Nigerian steroid trafficking ring, according to the report.
Geragos is called out for “repeatedly indicated that plaintiffs conspired to criminally attack Mr. Smollett, and by doing so, implied plaintiffs committed perjury” to the Grand Jury.
Mark and Tina have responded to the lawsuit, telling TMZ, “At first we thought this comical legal document was a parody. Instead, this so-called lawsuit by the brothers is more of their lawyer driven nonsense, and a desperate attempt for them to stay relevant and further profit from an attack they admit they perpetrated.”
They continue, “While we know this ridiculous lawsuit will soon be dismissed because it lacks any legal footing, we look forward to exposing the fraud the Osundairo brothers and their attorneys have committed on the public.”
The brothers’ attorney held a press conference today regarding the lawsuit and it remains unclear why Ola and Abel are not suing Jussie (scroll up and watch footage from the presser via the clip above).
The brothers say as a result of the alleged defamation, they have had a tough time finding work and “suffered extreme emotional distress, humiliation, anxiety, damages to their reputation, and damages to current and prospective business relations,” writes TMZ.
In related news, “Empire” co-creator Lee Daniels says the fate of Smollet’s character for season six of the hit FOX music drama is currently being decided.
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