Judge Rules To Unseal Records In Smollett Case: His Attorneys’ Blew Their Privacy Arguments By Spinning On TV

CHICAGO (WLS) — A judge ruled Thursday to unseal documents in the case of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett. The records were sealed in March shortly after charges against Smollett were abruptly dropped by prosecutors. Attorneys representing the media, including ABC7, challenged the sealing of the records. 

“Empire” actor and R&B singer Jussie Smollett told Chicago police last month that two men physically attacked him and yelled racial and homophobic slurs. There have been dozens of twists and turns since then. 

Here are some key moments from the start of this story. As a result, nearly 300 pages of court filings were released by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office on Thursday. 

“This is about transparency and rust in the sytem and we believe the public has a right to know what the government did here and why,” media attorney Natalie Spears said. 

The judge said Smollett might be entitled to privacy and keeping the records sealed if he hadn’t given a nationally-televised interview about the incident on “Good Morning America.”