Jonathan Majors: Opening Statements Begin in Domestic Violence Trial
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Opening statements in Jonathan Majors’ criminal domestic violence trial began Monday morning, with prosecutors claiming that Majors used physical violence to manipulate, control, and physically hurt his former girlfriend, whom he allegedly attacked in March in New York.
However, lawyers for Majors — who has maintained his innocence since his arrest — claim that Majors’ ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari made “false accusations” in an act of “revenge” against the actor after she discovered that he received a compromising text from another woman.
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Majors faces up to a year in jail if convicted on misdemeanor charges of assault and harassment for allegedly attacking Jabbari in New York. The Creed III and Lovecraft Country star arrived at Manhattan criminal court hand in hand with current girlfriend, actress Meagan Good, flanked by several family members and friends. He carried his Bible, a hefty case binder, and a small brown mug. Once inside the courtroom, Majors approached his loved ones, giving everyone a kiss on the cheek.
Shortly before opening statements, members of Jabbari’s family entered the courtroom, and Jabbari is expected to testify. Due to the temporary restraining order instated against Majors, this is likely the first time either has seen each other since Majors’ March arrest.
Both the defense and prosecutors were interrupted multiple times during their opening statements, with objections from both sides, conferring with Judge Michael Gaffey at the bench. Prosecutor Michael Perez began first, telling jurors that after meeting on the set of Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the couple enjoyed a “honeymoon period” before Majors’ “true self emerged.” Perez mentioned three instances in 2022 where Majors allegedly intimidated and attempted to control Jabbari, allegedly throwing and breaking objects in their house; chastising her and saying he expected her to hold herself to the standard of Michelle Obama and Coretta Scott King. “I am a great man,” he allegedly said during the aftermath of a September 2022 fight. Perez also said Majors once claimed to Jabbari that he would take his own life after becoming upset with her.
Perez told six jurors the DA’s office intended to show ample evidence that Majors twisted Jabbari’s arm and crushed her finger before striking her across the head when she witnessed him receive an intimate text from a woman named Cleopatra, before grabbing her and throwing her “like a football” into a car on the night of the alleged attack.
Chaudhry addressed the jury afterward, painting Jabbari as a scorned and erratic girlfriend who became distraught when she learned that Majors had received a text from another woman while heading back to their apartment after a dinner. Chaudhry pointed to surveillance footage in the alleged attack’s aftermath where Jabbari chased after Majors, went dancing and drinking at a club, and returned home as evidence of Jabbari’s injuries being inconsistent with what prosecutors have laid out. She also claimed that Jabbari attacked Majors, leaving him bloody and his coat scratched.
Majors’ trial officially started last Wednesday with jury selection. Originally, Majors was charged with eight misdemeanors, but on Monday, the district attorney’s office agreed to merge separate counts referring to Jabbari’s various injuries into four total counts pertaining to intentional assault, reckless assault, and aggravated harassment.
The trial could stretch at least two weeks, an anomaly for misdemeanor cases, which usually don’t result in a full-blown jury trial. The DA’s office plans to bring more than a dozen witnesses and has said it needs six days to present its case. Chaudhry said the defense also “intends to put on a case.” While Jabbari is expected to return to New York from London to testify, Majors’ team has not indicated if the actor will take the stand.
Jabbari claimed that after she attempted to grab Majors’ phone, he allegedly twisted her arm and struck her before exiting the car. Jabbari attempted to follow Majors, who allegedly grabbed and threw her into the car. As a result, Jabbari “sustained substantial pain, including a fractured finger, bruising about her body, a laceration behind her right ear, and a bump on her head,” according to court documents. The following morning, Majors was arrested when he returned home to allegedly find Jabbari unresponsive and called police.
Majors’ team plans on presenting a starkly different account, claiming Majors was the one who was attacked and that Jabbari hit and scratched him during the fight, leaving him bloody. In June, he filed a counter police report against Jabbari. (The DA’s office declined to press charges and sealed the case.)
Rolling Stone previously reported that prosecutors obtained testimonies from several women who previously dated Majors, who have alleged he was physically and/or emotionally abusive to them during their relationships. In June, Rolling Stone spoke with a dozen sources who claimed Majors had a history of domestic violence and was emotionally abusive with two previous romantic partners. Majors allegedly strangled one woman he was dating, and the second woman allegedly told friends there were moments of “near violence” where Majors would “get filled with rage” and “hit something or punch a wall.” (Majors denied that he was ever abusive in any relationships.)
Prosecutors also noted in a past filing it obtained a police report regarding Jabbari and a September 2022 incident in London that resulted in her receiving medical care. There were also “voice recordings,” photos, and texts containing references to “punching,” “physical pain,” and “medical treatment,” prosecutors listed as potential evidence in the September 2022 incident. Earlier this month, London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed to Rolling Stone that there is an ongoing investigation into the incident that included allegations of “physical assaults.”
Before his March arrest, Majors was on track to have his biggest year yet, with the successful box office performances of Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, before his buzz-worthy performance of Magazine Dreams was supposed to hit theaters this month. However, he was quickly dropped from his management and publicists in the wake of the accusations, and Searchlight Pictures indefinitely postponed the release of Magazine Dreams, a film about a bodybuilder with violent fantasies.
All that seems to be left on Majors’ calling card is Marvel, who was planning on centering the next edition of the franchise on his character, the multiverse villain Kang the Conqueror, starting with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in 2026. Majors’ character already played a significant role in Ant-Man and both seasons of Loki. However, in November, Variety reported that Marvel executives were rethinking Majors’ place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, weighing whether it would be good to recast the role or pivot to another villain.
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