Jussie Smollett was back in court on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, where he pleaded not guilty to new charges in relation to allegations that he staged a racist and homophobic attack on himself last year.
The “Empire” star was originally accused of orchestrating the attack back in January 2019, and whilst original charges against him — which included 16 felony counts of lying to police — were eventually dropped, he is now facing fresh charges over a year after the alleged attack.
On Monday, he appeared in court in Chicago to enter his plea, where he insisted he was not guilty of the charges against him, which are for six counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly making four separate false reports about the attack.
After pleading not guilty before Cook County Judge James B. Linn, the actor was released on a $20,000 bond but will appear in court again at a later date.
The judge asked him: “You need to come back to court, and you’re required to do so. Do you understand?”
Smollett nodded but did not speak throughout the 40-minute closed-door conference.
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