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Empire Actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty Thursday, March 14 to the prosecution to lie to the police for being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in downtown Chicago a few weeks ago.
Lawyer Tina Glandian pleaded on behalf of the 36-year-old actor at a hearing in the Cook County Circuit Court after Judge Steven Watkins was charged to supervise the case, including the trial.
Watkins accepted Smollett's request to meet with lawyers in New York and California, but said the actor had to give the court at least 48 hours' notice. He has scheduled the next hearing for April 17.
Smollett, who left the courthouse without speaking to reporters, is accused of 16 counts of disorderly behavior.
Prosecutors claim that Smollett, who is black and gay and plays Jamal Lyon's gay character in Fox's hit show, hired two friends to help him mount the attack against him in downtown Chicago early in the morning of January 29th. was unhappy with his salary and wanted to advertise to help his career.
Smollett denied having organized the attack and claimed that he was innocent. His lawyers called the charges against him "overuse of prosecution".
There were several supporters outside the courthouse when Smollett arrived at the hearing, some of whom waved placards. The activist Wisdom Cole has led some chants in favor of the actor, the black community and the LGBT community.
"Jussie was a person of high caliber and character. He comes from an activist family. He has a consistent track record and a history of support for the marginalized (…) and his record is not up to the idea of a hoax, "she said. declared.
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