Smollett pleaded not guilty to lying about the attack, and has long said he was truthful about it.
“The unprecedented irregularities identified in this case warrant the appointment of independent counsel to restore the public’s confidence in the integrity of our criminal justice system.”
Smollett, who is black, gay and Jewish, had been written out of the final two episodes of the show’s fifth season.
Smollett was written out of the final two episodes of the show’s fifth season.
The Osundairo brothers charged that Smollett's attorneys Mark Geragos and Tina Glandian falsely accused them of attacking Smollett, even after the investigation was over.
The lawsuit was being prepared after Smollett, 36, refused a demand by the city for $130,000, said Bill McCaffrey, a spokesman for the city's Department of Law.
The request for “immediate payment” came in a letter from the Chicago Department of Law to Smollett, a member of the cast of the Fox television series “Empire.”
Investigators later charged Smollett with paying $3,500 to the two men to pretend to attack him in order to garner public sympathy for himself. Prosecutors dropped the charges on Tuesday.
Smollett briefly addressed reporters after the hearing, saying, "I've been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one."
Smollett, who is black and openly gay and plays a gay character on the Fox network hip-hop drama "Empire," was previously charged in a criminal complaint with lying to police.
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