Attorneys for actor Jussie Smollett—who allegedly filed a false report of being the victim of a hate crime in January—oppose a lawsuit against him for recovery of $130,000 spent by the City of Chicago during the extensive investigation into the incident.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, in papers filed with the court they argued that "the mere fact somebody filed a police report doesn’t presume the investigation will be done and certainly not to the extent of what the city is claiming."
They further contended, "The filing of a police report, in and of itself, does not necessitate a sprawling investigation nor does it, as a practical matter, usually result in an investigation as extensive as the one the CPD chose to undertake in this case."
The filing stated also that the city has failed to prove that Smollett was aware that his statements would lead to 1,836 hours of police overtime.
The incident in question was proven to have been fabricated and charges initially filed against Smollett were dropped, with Judge Steven Watkins ordering the public court file sealed.
