Jonathan Majors 'remains unwavering' in innocence as domestic violence trial is delayed: attorney
Jonathan Majors will have to wait a little longer for his day in court. His domestic violence trial has been delayed until September.
The Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania actor, 33, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday to begin his criminal trial stemming from his March domestic dispute with ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. However, the trial — on four charges of misdemeanor assault and harassment — will now start on Sept. 6.
Majors's attorney, Priya Chaudhry, put the blame for the delay on the prosecution, saying it failed to turn over evidence in a timely manner. She received over a two-terabyte hard drive of prosecution evidence on Wednesday, according to Insider. Prosecutors said in response that evidence is still being gathered in the case.
Majors — who could face up to a year in jail, if convicted — arrived to court Thursday morning wearing a gray suit, blue shirt and wearing sunglasses while holding the hand of girlfriend Meagan Good. Inside the courtroom, the actor was carrying a bible and notebook, according to Variety. Within 15 minutes, the delay was conveyed and proceedings were dismissed for the day.
Jonathan Majors enters a Manhattan criminal courtroom today to begin trial stemming from domestic violence charges against the actor pic.twitter.com/4DX6Om8Nw6
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) August 3, 2023
After court, Chaudhry called Majors the"real victim in this shameful ordeal" as his "life, career and reputation [have been] torn apart" in a statement to Yahoo. She also claimed Jabbari, whom the defense maintain was the real aggressor, will be arrested when she returns to New York.
"One hundred and thirty-one days ago, authorities unjustly cuffed Jonathan Majors in his own home, hauling him off to jail based on the word of a woman now hunted by the NYPD," said Chaudhry. "Bravely, Jonathan Majors laid bare to the NYPD the relentless, alcohol-fueled abuse he suffered at the hands of Grace Jabbari, an enduring nightmare in their relationship. Now, as soon as Jabbari sets foot back in New York, the NYPD stands ready to arrest her. For an excruciating four months, Jonathan Majors, the real victim in this shameful ordeal, has had his life, career, and reputation torn apart. Yet he remains unwavering in his determination to be absolved from this harrowing ordeal."
Majors was arrested in March 25 in what police called a "domestic dispute." He's accused of twisting Jabbari's arm, pulling her finger, slapping her face and pushing her into a vehicle so violently that she fell on pavement. According to police, she was treated at a hospital for minor injuries. Jabbari has claimed he broke her finger and lacerated her ear.
However, Majors's attorney Priya Chaundhry branded the accusations a “complete lie" from the start and said he is the victim. She claimed that Jabbari, who had been in a relationship with Majors for several years, assaulted Majors and stole personal belongings from his home. She claims Jabbari, who worked as a movement coach on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, went out to a club after the dispute, and sustained her injuries when she passed out in Majors's walk-in closet later that night.
In June, Majors filed a cross-complaint, accusing Jabbari of slapping and scratching him when she was "drunk and hysterical." The NYPD found probable cause to arrest Jabbari, however, a police spokesperson told Yahoo at the time the "investigation is ongoing" and there had been no arrest.
Shortly after that, Rolling Stone published an article detailing additional abuse allegations against Majors dating back over a decade. The outlet spoke with over 40 people over three months, going back as far as his days at Yale University, outlining what they said was "a pattern of alleged physical, mental and emotional abuse." More than a dozen of those sources claimed he was abusive to partners, with one of those relationships including physical abuse. Another attorney for Majors said the actor "vehemently denies Rolling Stone's false allegations that he physically, verbally, or emotionally abused anyone." They also said they provided statements to the outlet from some of Majors's exes who said he was a good boyfriend and was never abusive.
Majors has been dropped by his management company and PR firm as all this has played out.
Majors has also lost multiple projects due to the allegations, but Marvel has not cut ties. Days before the trial, Disney+ dropped Loki's Season 2 trailer and it included Majors as Kang. His appearance in the trailer was brief however, and Marvel has pushed back the release of the next two Avengers movies, The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, which were to prominently feature the actor.