Jussie Smollett attorneys cannot call prosecutor to testify

CHICAGO (AP) — A judge has ruled that Jussie Smollett’s attorneys cannot call as a witness the Chicago prosecutor whose office dropped initial charges accusing the actor of staging a racist, anti-gay attack on himself in 2019.

Cook County Judge James Linn also said Thursday that Smollett’s attorneys could not mention various lawsuits linked to his case.

But Linn said they could tell jurors about an AR-15 and other guns that were discovered after police searched the home of two brothers whom prosecutors said Smollett hired and paid to carry out the attack.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the judge noted that the AR-15 was legally owned and has since been returned to its owner.

Smollett was charged last February for allegedly lying to Chicago police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack last year.

His initial charges were dropped by the county prosecutor’s office shortly after his alleged attack in January 2019 in Chicago.

In June 2019, the series creator of “Empire” announced that Smollett would not return to the hit series for its final season.

Smollett has denied the allegations and has pleaded not guilty, the Associated Press reported.