Ola and Abel Osundario announce their intention to sue Jussie Smollett's attorneys for defamation of character...
From CBS Chicago
Ola and Abel Osundairo, the brothers who were involved in the alleged hoax attack on Jussie Smollett, are suing two of the “Empire” actor’s attorneys for defamation, accusing Mark Geragos and Tina Glandian of falsely accusing them of an actual hate crime.
“Defendants made these comments knowing they were untrue to distract from Mr. Smollett’s farce and to promote themselves and the Geragos & Geragos Law Firm,” the Osundairo brothers’ lawsuit alleges. “Statements indicating Plaintiffs actually criminally battered Mr. Smollett without his consent are patently false and defamatory, as Mr. Smollett originated, planned, and orchestrated the attack.”
The brothers’ attorneys acknowledged they took part in a hoax, but said they have apologized for it, and only did so because Smollett paid them.
“As far as their participation in this publicity stunt, they’ve realized that it was wrong, they’ve apologized for it, and they’ve expressed more than once that they are tremendously regretful for the role that they played in it,” Schmidt said. “But make no mistake, they had no role in calling the police, and they had no role in defrauding the Police Department.”
The brothers’ lawsuit accuses Smollett’s attorneys of repeatedly making false attacks against them in the media after prosecutors dropped charges against the actor.
