Jussie Smollett's Lawyers Sued By Alleged Attacker Brothers

[AKing]

Source: Deadline.Com

After the alleged attack on Jussie Smollett in Chicago, the brothers who police say coordinated the assault with the Empire star are taking his lawyers to court.

In a federal lawsuit filed today against Mark Geragos, Tina Glandian and their law firm, brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo say they have been set up by the attorneys.
“Smollett directed every aspect of the attack, including the location and the noose,” the suit claims and says former CNN contributor Geragos and team defamed the duo repeatedly to the press.

Smollett “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,'” according to the lawsuit.
The brothers say they have suffered extreme emotional distress, humiliation, anxiety, damages to their reputation, and damages to current and prospective business relations as a result of the defamation.

Read more: https://deadline.com/2019/04/jussie-smollett-lawyers-sued-alleged-attacker-brothers-1202600414/

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I expect the brothers to also eventually sue Smollett. They are the real victims.

[jberryhill]

1. Example #483 on "Why lawyers shouldn't try cases in the media"

When you see a lawyer on TV talking about a case in which they are involved, they are not helping anyone.

The problem with their basic claim is that they have to prove that what Smollet's lawyers said - "These two guys attacked Smollet" - hurts them in some material way more than their admitted facts that "These two guys attacked Smollet because he paid them to fake a hate crime".

Like, which scenario makes anyone think less of them? The damage to their reputation and careers comes primarily as a consequence of what they agreed to do, and admit to having done, in the first place.

[Cartoonist]

2. Big mistake

Illinois was willing to let them walk away. Now they come out and admit to staging a false crime. I don't see a winning strategy here.

[jberryhill]

3. Merely "staging a false crime" is a crime where?

They are actors. They get paid to act.

If you are going to try to rope them into the offense of reporting a false crime to the police, then you have to show that they intended for what they were paid to do to be reported to the police.

I doubt there is any evidence that they intended or even knew that it would be reported to the police. And you would need to have solid proof of that.

Getting paid to beat someone up is not a crime. (well, okay, to beat up the person who is paying you to do it) That's why they weren't charged in the first place.

The larger problem here is that the defamation claim is stupid.

These two are claiming that their reputations, earning prospects, etc. have been damaged by Smollett's lawyers going on TV and saying that the two of them attacked Smollett.

In some universe, that is more damaging than what they admit to be the case - that they were willing to get paid to fake a racist homophobic attack.

Oh boy, yes, I can see where that makes a huge difference about what I might think about them as cast members on my TV show! My goodness, these poor maligned boys are not freelance violent racist homophobes - nothing of the sort. They are a pair of wholesome pretend racist homophobes for hire. Well, alrighty then.

Morons.

[ripcord]

5. They aren't going to go after the brothers

They cooperated with the police in the investigation, it is hardly their fault the State's Attorney ignored the grand jury indictment of 16 counts to release Smollett, it seems his attorney's are doing everything they can to get this case in from of a jury.

[Cartoonist]

6. They still have to admit

they conspired with Smollett. They should have cut their losses instead of hoping for a payday.

[ripcord]

7. They haved already admitted it

Due to them cooperating with the police they got a deal, the city isn't going to go back on that deal now, they aren't going to do anything to help Smollett or his lawyers.

[rocktivity]

4. The Osundairoses are right to sue them first

Last edited Fri Jun 16, 2023, 10:43 PM - Edit history (8)

if only for the sake of giving their "eventual" suit against Smollett more merit (unless Smollett beats them to the punch by suing his lawyers himself).

Here's an example of suing the wrong party: adoptive parents are trying to sue Kanye West because their child's birth parent gave him legal permission to sample the child's voice in a song. Kanye's not the villain, for once: if the birth parent knew or should have known that she no longer had legal jurisdiction over the child, he's as much a victim as the adoptive parents are -- he could even countersue!


rocktivity

[oldsoftie]

8. Good for them. I hope they sue Smollet into poverty.

The damage he has done is incalculable.