Jussie Smollett Spotted out Running Errands Amid Scandal

Jussie Smollett was recently spotted out running errands amid his alleged false hate crime [...]

By Stephen Andrew

Jussie Smollett was recently spotted out running errands amid his alleged false hate crime scandal.

TMZ snapped some photos of the actor In Van Nuys, California this week, while did things like stop by the post office.

In the pictures, Smollett can be seen wearing a jean jacket and black hat, appearing to try and be an low-key as possible.

Smollett's day out comes as the City of Chicago has threatened to sue him for the time spent on his case, which the city's police department has stated they believe was orchestrated by Smollett from the beginning.

In response, Smollett's lawyer Mark Geragos sent a letter to the city to state that any attempts by the municipality to force Smollett to pay for the investigation would be fought back against.

"We are in receipt of your March 28. 2019 letter, sent two days after all criminal charges against Mr. Smollett were dismissed, demanding that Mr. Smollett pay to the City of Chicago $130,106.15 for 'repayment of investigation costs' within seven (7) days," the letter read. "Otherwise, you threaten to prosecute Mr. Smollett for making a false statement to the City pursuant to Municipal Code 1-21-010 or to pursue any other legal remedy available at law."

"Your letter constitutes part of a course of conduct intended to harass and irreparably injure Mr. Smollett," the letter continued. "As explained below, your letter is both factually and legally flawed, and Mr. Smollett will not be intimidated into paying the demanded sum."

"As you know, Mr. Smollett vehemently denies making any false statements to the City of Chicago, or to any individuals investigating the January 29, 2019 attack on him," the letter went on to read. "All criminal charges against Mr. Smollett from this incident have been dismissed and his record has been sealed. Thus. your claim that Mr. Smollett filed a false police report and orchestrated his own attack is false and defamatory."

The threats from the Chicago city government come after Smollett's alleged fake hate crime assault case was dropped due to the prosecution reportedly not having a strong enough case against the actor.

All of the charges against Smollett were dropped last month, prompting his lawyers to issue a statement saying, "Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him. Jussie was attacked by 2 people he was unable to identify on January 29th."

"He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public, causing an inappropriate rush to judgment," the statement continued.

"Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result," the statement concluded.

Smollett will reportedly remain a cast member on Empire in the wake of the case against him being dismissed.

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