SCANDAL AFTER SCANDAL

Jussie Smollett’s Attorneys Target Ex-Chicago Police Superintendent in New Court Filing

The actor’s lawyers are seeking any materials that show Eddie Johnson was “untruthful or misleading in any statement.”

Lawyers for actor Jussie Smollett are seeking documents pertaining to a scandal that led to Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson's ouster in December, The Chicago Tribune reports. A new court filing reveals that Smollet's legal team has subpoenaed documents that could show Johnson was “untruthful or misleading in any statement” in the investigation that preceded his ouster. Johnson was found asleep behind the wheel of a running car late last year and was fired after it was found that he lied about the incident to to the mayor. Smollett's subpoena also asked for materials that show how much the city spent probing alleged wrongdoing by Johnson and if there were attempts to get those funds back. The city reportedly objected to the subpoena, submitted to Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson’s office, claiming it wasn't filed correctly.

Chicago officials concluded that the actor staged a racist, homophobic hate crime against himself last year, and Smollett was subsequently charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct. At the time, Johnson publicly stated he believed Smollett faked the crime and it reportedly took him by surprise when State’s Attorney Kim Foxx abruptly dropped all the charges against Smollett. The city sued Smollett to collect police overtime pay incurred by investigating the attack against the actor but Smollett has since countersued, with his legal team claiming that Johnson made false statements.