Brothers who accuse Smollett of race hoax sue for defamation — but their target is not Jussie himself

The brothers who claimed that "Empire" star Jussie Smollett paid them to perpetrate a racial and homophobic attack hoax are now suing the star's lawyers for defamation.

The Osundairo brothers say that Smollett's lawyers have made false and defamatory claims in the process of defending their client.

Smollett's case was dismissed by the Cook County State's Attorney Office after he forfeited a $10,000 bail bond and completed some community service, much to the shock of many in the public.

The brothers filed a federal defamation claim Tuesday saying that their reputations had been damaged by many of the statements made by Smollet's attorneys Tina Glandian and Mark Geragos.

"Attorneys Mark Geragos and Tina Glandian through their continued false statements and hateful rhetoric," said the brothers' attorney Gloria Schmidt, "have only deepened the damage."

The lawsuit says that by calling the brothers liars, Smollett's lawyers are accusing them of perpetrating an actual hate crime.

"Other than the self-serving statements by the two brothers, nothing actually connects Jussie to the act," Glandian claimed.

In one case, Smollet's lawyers implied that one of the brothers might have had an intimate relationship with Smollett, who is openly gay.

"The younger brother did end up spending the night at Jussie's house close in time to when this attack took place. I will leave it at that," Geragos said.

"Oh, there's a relationship?" inferred a podcast host.

"I'm just gonna leave it at that!" responded Geragos.

Geragos and Glandian responded that they believed the lawsuit was a joke at first and said they were confident that the case would be dismissed.

Here's the local video of the filing:

Osundairo Brothers Sue Jussie Smollett's Attorneys For Defamationwww.youtube.com