Jussie Smollett, the former “Empire” actor accused of filing a false police report two years ago, faced a Cook County judge in a Zoom court session Tuesday afternoon in which Smollett’s new lead attorney is being challenged.
Smollett is charged with lying to police when he said he was the victim of a homophobic attack in January of 2019 in Chicago and accused of hiring two brothers, the Osundairos, to make it look like he was attacked.
Smollett is still represented by a high-profile L.A. firm. But he has chosen an Illinois attorney to be lead counsel: former Cook County prosecutor Nenye Uche.
The special prosecutor on the Smollett case, Dan Webb, is objecting to Uche, saying he has a conflict of interest because Uche had communication early on with the Osundairo brothers. The two brothers have claimed they did help Smollett fake the attack.
Uche told the judge he only spoke with the brothers’ mother.
The brothers’ attorney says no, no, Uche spoke with the brothers.
Next up: an evidentiary hearing, which will ultimately determine whether Smollett’s new choice for lead attorney can join the case.
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