Brothers Sue Jussie Smollett’s Lawyers For Defamation

Embattled “Empire” star Jussie Smollett orchestrated and directed every aspect of his staged hate crime, right down to the placement of the noose, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday against his lawyers by the two brothers who allegedly helped him fake the attack.

Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, who were paid by Smollett to help in the publicity stunt to raise the B-list actor’s profile, are suing Smollett’s lawyers Tina Glandian, Mark Geragos and his law firm for defamation, the suit states.

The brothers, who both had small parts on the Fox series, claim in their lawsuit Smollett “used his clout as a wealthy actor to influence” them and they had an “insubordinate relationship” with the actor as two men “aspiring to ‘make it’ in Hollywood,” making them susceptible to manipulation.

Smollett, who is black and gay, claims a pair of bigots spewed racial and homophobic vitriol while dousing him with bleach and tossing a noose around his neck in Chicago on Jan. 29.

But the actor’s tale fell apart when the Chicago police interviewed the Osundairo brothers and determined the hate crime was staged.

The suit sheds light directly from the brother’s mouths on how and why Smollett allegedly orchestrated the account.

“Mr. Smollett’s motivation was simple. He wanted his employer and the public to notice and appreciate him as a successful black, openly gay actor. So, Mr. Smollett directed every aspect of the attack, including the location and noose,” the documents claim.

The Osundairo brothers testified these claims before a grand jury and Smollett’s lawyers soon prepared a defense that centered on allegations the brothers were homophobic and that was their motive for beating up Smollett. They cited years old, since-deleted tweets from one of their Twitter accounts that showed anti-gay statements, sources told The Post at the time, even though Smollett himself never publicly acknowledged the brothers were his attackers.

But when 16 felony charges against Smollett for filing a false police report were suddenly dropped on March 26, Smollett’s lawyers continued to defame the Osundairo brothers, publicly claiming they were homophobic, possibly wore white face and that one might have had a sexual relationship with Smollett, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit references an interview Glandian gave to “Good Morning America” the day after charges against Smollett were dropped where she alleges the Osundairo brothers may have been wearing “whiteface” while attacking Smollett and that they perjured themselves before a grand jury, the suit states.

The comments “did not serve any legal function, and were not a requirement of her job as a defense attorney,” the suit went on.

The suit references another interview Glandian gave on April 6 on the “Reasonable Doubt” podcast where she “falsely stated that Plaintiffs are involved in ‘illegal’ Nigerian steroid trafficking,” as part of their personal training business.

Those allegations are false, the suit claims.

During that same interview, Glandian “inferred” that Ambimbola Osundairo and Smollett engaged “in homosexual acts together,” a statement the brothers found particularly offensive due to their lineage to Nigeria, which is notorious for their homophobia and ruthless laws against the LGBTQ community. The suit states that homosexuality is punishable by up to 14 years in prison in Nigeria and if a married person is found to be engaging in a homosexual act, the punishment is death by stoning.

Those comments “endangers” Ambimbola Osundairo and “the lives of his Nigerian family,” the suit claims.

It also states Glandian’s comments were made in concert with Geragos and his law firm and they’ve caused the brothers losses to their business and has harmed their reputations. The comments have also caused the brothers to feel “alienated” in their community and to suffer “extreme emotional distress, humiliation and anxiety.”

At a Tuesday press conference, the brothers’ lawyer Gloria Schmidt read a statement from them.

“We have sat back and watched lie after lie being fabricated about us in the media only so one big lie can continue to have life. These lies are destroying our character and our reputation in our personal and professional lives,” Schmidt stated on behalf of her clients.

“Those who know us personally know that we do not have hate for anyone, that is not who we are. We try to spread as much love and positivity to whoever we come into contact with. We will no longer sit back and allow these lies to continue.”

Geragos and Glandian issued a statement to The Post on the lawsuit, saying they thought it was a joke at first.

“At first we thought this comical legal document was a parody. Instead this so-called lawsuit by the brothers is more of their lawyer driven nonsense, and a desperate attempt for them to stay relevant and further profit from an attack they admit they perpetrated,” the statement reads.

“While we know this ridiculous lawsuit will soon be dismissed because it lacks any legal footing, we look forward to exposing the fraud the Osundairo brothers and their attorneys have committed on the public.”

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