Attorneys representing Jussie Smollett are demanding his immediate release from jail because of his risk of contracting Covid-19 and being physically harmed.
According to documents obtained by TMZ, the former Empire star's legal team want him released from Chicago's Cook County Jail at least while his appeal makes it way through the system. The lawyers filed an emergency motion on Monday (March 14) requesting a judge release to the 39-year-old ASAP.
Jussie's attorneys say his family has been receiving threatening messages from strangers since his sentencing last week. They even submitted a video taken by the Smollett family in which they say a stranger can be heard calling them with violent suggestions about what should happen to their brother.
The family says the clip –– which includes a barrage of racist and homophobic slurs –– is just one example of what they've been dealing with and they fear the sentiment could translate to real-life violence for Jussie behind bars.
Jussie's team also submitted a sworn affidavit from a doctor who says the actor should be released because he has an compromised immune system and is at higher risk of getting Covid-19 –– an issue seen in prisons across the country since the start of the pandemic.
The attorneys also said that Jussie's mental health is of concern given the fact that he's being held in protective custody, which they say is much like solitary confinement.
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