Jonathan Majors makes first appearance in court as judge sets trial date on domestic violence charges

Jonathan Majors, left, and Meagan Good, right, arrive in court for a hearing on his domestic violence case, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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Jonathan Majors appeared in a Manhattan court on Tuesday, this time in person, to face domestic violence charges lodged by his ex-girlfriend. During an appearance that lasted mere minutes, the judge set an Aug. 3 trial date for the Creed III star, who has vehemently denied the accusations.

Flanked by his current girlfriend, actress Meagan Good, and his lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, and clutching what appeared to be a Bible, Majors made his way through a throng of photographers and onlookers into the courtroom. He removed his sunglasses before approaching the bench.

Judge Rachel S. Pauley informed Majors that he must adhere to the court order and have "no contact whatsoever" with his accuser. "Yes, your honor," replied Majors, 33.

Pauley then wished both parties "good luck" and adjourned the hearing.

Majors was arrested in March after an incident with his former partner who was taken to the hospital for "minor injuries to her head and neck." He was ultimately charged with multiple misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment. In a new statement on Tuesday, Chaudhry reiterated that her client was actually the victim.

"Within a few weeks of these false allegations, we provided the district attorney with evidence of Mr. Majors's innocence. Last week, we delivered additional compelling evidence to the District Attorney, clearly proving [the woman's] assault on Jonathan Majors and not the other way around," Chaudhry began.

"This evidence includes videos of [the woman's] frenzied attack on Mr. Majors and his running away from her. We also provided photographs illustrating the injuries she inflicted on Mr. Majors and photos of his clothing torn as a direct consequence of [her] violent actions," Chaudhry continued. "Following this, we strongly requested the district attorney dismiss all charges against Mr. Majors immediately and initiate proceedings against [the woman], 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."

Last month, Chaudhry called the case a "witch hunt" that showed "racial bias" permeating in "the criminal justice system." She said they provided "irrefutable evidence that the woman is lying."

"The criminal justice system is saturated with explicit and implicit bias," Chaudhry continued. "This glaring double standard between the treatment of Jonathan Majors, a Black man weighing 200 pounds, and his accuser, highlights the racial bias that permeates the criminal justice system."

Jonathan Majors leaves court after a hearing on his domestic violence case, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Jonathan Majors leaves court after his hearing on domestic violence charges. (Photo: AP/Mary Altaffer)

This was was shaping up to be quite the year for Majors, one of Hollywood's "it" stars. Along with Creed III, he was formally introduced as Marvel supervillain Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. He's set, as of now, to reprise the role in several titles leading up to 2025's Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Majors generated buzz in January at the Sundance Film Festival for the film Magazine Dreams and was positioned early as an awards contender.

In a surprising move, Majors was dropped by his manager and publicist in April, weeks before his scheduled court appearance in the case. But days later, Variety reported more women came forward and were cooperating with the Manhattan district attorney's office. Chaudhry dismissed the "baseless" story in a statement. Around the same time, Majors was dropped from several projects. Marvel has stayed mum over the past three months.

Majors and Good began their relationship in May and have been increasingly spotted in public together in recent weeks.