Two brothers who say Jussie Smollett paid them $3,500 to stage a hate-crime hoax are suing the Empire actor's lawyers, Mark Geragos and Tina Glandian, for defamation - claiming that the attorney lied to the media to make it appear that Ola and Abel Osundario were guilty of a real, homophobic and racist attack.

According to TMZ, the brothers filed the case in Chicago federal court, claiming that Smollett "used his clout as a wealthy actor to influence [the brothers] who were in a subordinate relationship to him and were aspiring to 'make it.'"

The suit says when Tina Glandian went on 'GMA,' "Today" and the Reasonable Doubt podcast after the charges against Jussie were dismissed, she told a string of lies ... including the brothers wore whiteface during the attack and the brothers were involved in an illegal Nigerian steroid trafficking ring. -TMZ

Additionally, the lawsuit claims that Glandian falsely claims one of the brothers "engaged in fornication with Mr. Smollett."

Attorney Mark Geragos

Also according to the filing, Smollett's other attorney Mark Geragos "repeatedly indicated that plaintiffs conspired to criminally attack Mr. Smollett, and by doing so, implied plaintiffs committed perjury" to the Grand Jury, while conspiring to make false statements to the Chicago police department.

The suit doubles down and says the brothers never knew Jussie would go to the cops ... rather, he was staging the "attack" for social media. The brothers say as a result of the alleged defamation they suffered extreme emotional distress, humiliation, anxiety, damages to their reputation, and damages to current and prospective business relations. As we reported, Ola and Abel have had a tough time finding work, both as actors and personal trainers, in the wake of the scandal. -TMZ

A long-time high profile lawyer, Geragos has most recently made headlines after having been named by the Wall Street Journal as an unindicted co-conspirator with disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti, who was arrested as part of an extortion plot to bilk $20 million out of Nike.

WSJ reports that the co-conspirator in the Avenatti case is famous lawyer Mark Geragos. There is a taped conversation. @rebeccadobrien @mrothfeld https://t.co/D5IXjl1Y8e — Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 25, 2019

Geragos also represents Seagrams heiress Clare Bronfman, who pleaded guilty last week in the NXIVM sex-cult case.