The Jussie Smollett affair continues to get messier. The Osundario brothers, the two men reportedly behind the fake attack, have now motioned a defamation lawsuit against Smollett's lawyers. According to TMZ, siblings Abel and Ola claim the actor's attorneys have lied about their role in the alleged attack since all charges were dropped against Jussie. The brothers filed the suit within the Chicago federal court while insinuating that Jussie's celebrity status affected their better judgment and influenced them to take on the culprit roles.
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The brothers cited their relationship with the "Empire" star as subordinate and further claimed to have been innocent victims, blinded by the potential of making it big. Despite these claims, Jussie Smollett is not the one being sued. Instead, Ola and Abel are coming for the actor's lawyers, Mark Geragos, and Tina Glandian, for reportedly sensationalizing their role in the racist, homophobic attack.
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The suit further expands on Gladian's details of the attack shared on news outlets GMA, Today and the Reasonable Doubt podcast. According to the plaintiffs, Tina Gladian lied about the brothers wearing whiteface during the attack, having a sexual relationship with Jussie and their potential involvement in a Nigerian steroid trafficking scheme. The alleged defamation suit also chimes in on the drawbacks experienced by the brothers following the case, which includes an inability to find work, public humiliation and damage to their reputations.
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Further details on the ordeal are set to be given in a Chicago news conference currently broadcasted live on TMZ.
