Jussie Smollett has issued a defiant statement after settling a lawsuit and making a donation to a police violence charity.
The 41-year-old Empire star made headlines in January 2019 when he said he had been attacked on the streets of Chicago - only for the police department to accuse him of orchestrating the attack in an elaborate hoax.
After initially being found guilty of five counts of felony disorderly conduct in 2021, the Illinois Supreme Court later reversed Smollett's conviction in 2024.
City officials also sued Smollett for costs involved in the police investigation into the alleged January 2019 assault but this week it was announced the case had been settled and Smollett.
Reports revealed the actor would pay $50,000 (£37,000) to the charity Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts - an organisation that helps underprivileged youth in Chicago.
Taking to Instagram following the news that his case had been settled, Smollett lamented that his character had been damaged by the legal issues he has endured since 2019.
He wrote in a lengthy statement, "Though I was exonerated by the Illinois Supreme Court in a unanimous decision and the civil case will now be dismissed, I'm aware that it will not change everyone's mind about me or the attack I experienced."
Declaring he is "innocent in the eyes of God" and the "criminal justice system", he then revealed he had made a $10,000 (£7,400) donation to the Chicago Torture Justice Centre charity.
He wrote, "I'm grateful to have had the resources to defend myself. So many do not. They are backed into corners to take deals or confess to crimes they did not actually commit."
He explained he hoped his donation would benefit the charity which "provides resources to communities healing from the violence of the Chicago Police Department."
He also wrote, "To anyone who has had to prove they have in fact been violated, you know how difficult this can be to navigate. I stand with and for you."
