Jonathan Majors Gets August Trial Date For Domestic Violence Charges After Tuesday Court Appearance
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UPDATED with defense lawyer statement: Jonathan Majors will be going to trial later this summer on domestic violence charges.
The Creed III actor appeared briefly Tuesday morning in a Manhattan criminal courtroom to learn his trial has been set to start August 3. Majors is looking at up to a year behind bars if found guilty on the misdemeanor claims stemming from his late-night March 25 arrest.
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Originally scheduled for last week, today’s hearing lasted just more than two minutes. Dropped in April by managers 360 Entertainment and PR team the Lede Company (as Deadline exclusively reported), Majors was a virtual participant in a May 9 hearing in the matter. At that time, Judge Rachel S. Pauley told the actor and his lawyers that Majors had to show up in person next time or “a warrant can be issued for your arrest within 48 hours.”
Majors’ defense team has insisted their client is not guilty of any assault claims.
Today, Majors appeared before Pauley, flanked by two attorneys and wearing a dark brown sport coat and white shirt. Noting the full temporary order of protection granted on April 27 for the woman in question, the judge reminded Majors that he could have “no contact whatsoever” with the woman and keep in touch with court officials in the weeks leading up to the trial date. If Majors were to fail to respond to any court orders or not appear for his trial, Pauley said he could be arrested and convicted in abstentia. “I obviously do not want that to happen,” she said.
“Yes, your honor,” Majors replied, as Harlem actress Meagan Good looked on. Pauley then dismissed the parties, wishing them “best of luck.”
Beginning in the hours after Majors’ arrest almost three months ago, his arraignment and subsequent release, lawyers for the Magazine Dreams actor have been adamant he is “completely innocent and is provably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows.” Attempting to turn the spotlight on the alleged victim, a former girlfriend, attorney Priya Chaudhry has said she expects “these charges to be dropped soon.”
With the charges clearly not being dropped by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, the defense team has taken to slamming the situation as a “witch hunt” and a sign of “the racial bias that permeates the criminal justice system.” Majors’ lawyers have also been putting out videos, text messages and other material showing the alleged female victim out clubbing asking for forgiveness, and apparently unharmed over the March weekend in question.
That’s a different perspective than the one offered by the police and prosecutors.
“A preliminary investigation determined that a 33-year-old male was involved in a domestic dispute with a 30-year-old female,” said the NYPD on March 27 of the incident involving Majors, who was the one to call 911 to his Chelsea apartment that night. “The victim informed police she was assaulted. Officers placed the 33-year-old male into custody without incident. The victim sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition.”
Despite the charges and controversy, Disney and Marvel have stayed silent so far about the WME-repped Majors’ future in the MCU. Still set for the long completed second season of Loki on Disney+, Majors’ villainous Kang character looked poised earlier this year to become the heart of the latest phase of Marvel’s mega-franchise. Tuesday’s hearing in Manhattan comes less than a week after Disney moved the release dates for both Avengers: Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars by a year to 2026 and 2027, respectively. Whether this is a result of the ongoing Writers Guild strike or if Majors’ legal issues play a role is TBD.
In the meantime, Majors has seen other movie roles and advertising campaigns shuttered in the aftermath of his arrest.
After today’s hearing, Chaudhry put out a statement claiming in part that “last week, we delivered additional compelling evidence to the District Attorney, clearly proving [the alleged victim’s] assault on Jonathan Majors and not the other way around.” With a mix of defeat and optimism, plus a bit of shade, the lawyer added, “Following this, we strongly requested the District Attorney dismiss all charges against Mr. Majors immediately and initiate proceedings against Ms. [alleged victim’s name], holding her accountable for her crimes. While we are hopeful that the District Attorney is reviewing these materials in good faith and will do the right thing soon, to accelerate our case, we’ve requested a trial date ASAP.”
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