Jonathan Majors Trial Delayed for Third Time
Jonathan Majors’ domestic violence trial has been pushed for a third time — this time over his legal team’s claims that New York prosecutors have “attempt[ed] to bury” key evidence in the case. The Marvel star faces up to a year in jail if convicted on charges for allegedly attacking a romantic partner in March.
Majors appeared virtually in the courtroom as Judge Michael Gaffey scheduled the next key hearing for October 25. Minutes into Friday’s hearing, the judge kicked out members of the press from the courtroom for 45 minutes to seal proceedings, saying “the law requires that the issues we are about to discuss on the record must be sealed.”
More from Rolling Stone
Russell Brand Dropped by Agent After Rape and Sexual Assault Accusations
Tory Lanez Loses Key Decision in Megan Thee Stallion Shooting Appeal
Majors’ case has garnered national attention since his arrest on March 25 on misdemeanor charges of assault, attempted assault, and aggravated harassment. The dispute began over Majors’ cell phone, with Majors allegedly twisting his girlfriend’s arm, pushing her into the side of a car and striking her, which caused “substantial pain and a laceration” behind her ear, according to her police complaint.
However, Majors has denied the accusation. He has claimed the woman attacked him, scratching him and tearing his clothes after she believed he was messaging another woman. In June, Majors filed a counter police report against the woman. (As of Friday, no arrest has been made and no charges filed against the woman, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s office confirmed to Rolling Stone.)
There was particular interest in Friday’s hearing — after tentative trial dates had been pushed twice already — following a viral video of Majors breaking up a fight between two high school girls near an In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles earlier this week.
The girls are seen brawling in front of other students, who are filming them, before Majors runs into the frame and gets between the girls, trying to calm the situation. Catching up with TMZ after the fight, Majors says he intervened because he was “just trying to be a helpful guy.” The conspicuous timing of the video — the day before the hearing — led many to call the encounter a badly orchestrated PR stunt. “Nah he got the same pr team as AMPTP,” Desus Nice tweeted.
The looming trial date comes after a Rolling Stone’s investigation into Majors, where multiple sources claimed Majors had a history of domestic violence. Majors allegedly strangled one woman he was dating, and was mentally and emotionally abusive with her, nine sources claimed. A second woman allegedly told friends that her relationship with Majors was “emotional torture.” Majors vehemently denied all claims of abuse within his previous relationships. Sources also alleged that Majors was involved in several altercations during his time at the prestigious Yale School of Drama and was disruptive on Hollywood sets. (Majors denied the accusations.)
The case has garnered national media attention and heated discussion about the criminal matter has also dominated social media — a concerning rising trend in wake of growing media storms around celebrity legal cases.
Majors is one of Hollywood’s biggest rising stars and has seen his career skyrocket over the past decade, starring in Creed III and earning accolades for HBO’s Lovecraft Country. His biggest triumph to date was landing a Marvel role, playing multiverse villain Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and is set to reprise the character as a central plot line point in upcoming Marvel films.
Majors’ Kang is also featured in the second season of Loki on Disney+, which premieres October 6 and makes a brief appearance in the new season’s trailer. Marvel has not directly addressed questions around Majors and the future of his projects. In June, however, the company announced a change to its overall release schedule, pushing back Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to May 2026, and Avengers: Secret War to May 2027.
This article was updated at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 15 to reflect Majors’ new court date.
Best of Rolling Stone