Jonathan Majors Trial: Closing Arguments Focus on Ex-Partner as “Liar” or Victim of Abuse

Caitlin Huston
·5 min read
3
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Closing arguments for Jonathan Majors’ trial took place Thursday, with his defense attorney repeatedly calling his ex-partner “a liar,” while the prosecution described it as a case of domestic violence.

Majors faces four charges of misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment and harassment after he called 911 on March 25, when he said he found his ex-partner, Grace Jabbari, unconscious in their apartment. Police arrested Majors after finding apparent injuries on Jabbari, including a laceration behind her ear and a bruised and fractured finger. The Marvel actor has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Jury deliberations began around 3:30 p.m. ET Thursday and the jury was sent home about an hour later, with deliberations set to continue Friday afternoon.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Majors did not take the stand in his trial, and when asked by Judge Michael Gaffey on Thursday whether he had discussed this with his counsel and had decided he did not want to testify, he said, “Yes, your honor.” He has appeared in court every day of the trial, with opening statements beginning Dec. 4, alongside his current partner, Meagan Good, and family members. Jabbari was on the stand for four days as a witness for the prosecution.

Majors, who had maintained a largely neutral expression throughout the trial, appeared to tear up Thursday during closing arguments from his attorney, Priya Chaudhry, dabbing his eyes as she stated: “His fear of what happens when a Black man in America calls 911 came true. And now we’re here.” Chaudhry, too, appeared to summon tears as she told the jury, “You are here to end this nightmare for Jonathan Majors.” When she finished speaking, Chaudhry and Majors hugged each other.

These charges have a potential sentence of up to one year in jail. But, regardless of the outcome, the trial itself and the publicity around it may have implications for Majors’ career, which has recently included starring roles in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Creed III and Loki. In the wake of his arrest, both his publicity firm, the Lede Company, and Management 360 dropped him, while in recent months the Disney-owned Searchlight Features removed Magazine Dreams from its release calendar. The film debuted at Sundance in January and was expected to be an awards season vehicle for Majors. The actor remains attached to star in Marvel’s upcoming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

In her closing arguments, Chaudhry took aim at the arresting officers, the prosecutors and Jabbari’s credibility: “These prosecutors bought Grace’s white lies, her big lies and all her pretty little lies,” she said.

Jabbari testified that the alleged incident occurred in a private car, when she saw a text on Majors’ phone that read: “Oh how I wish to be kissing you.” Jabbari has said she tried to snatch the phone from Majors, who then pried her finger from the phone, grabbed her arm and right hand, twisted her forearm and struck her right ear to get the phone away from her. He then stopped the car and she got out.

Chaudhry alleged that “Jabbari was not hurt when she got out of the car,” and said that Jabbari had been able to use her hand throughout her night, as was shown on video footage and photos introduced into evidence of Jabbari at a club. She also accused Jabbari of “revenge partying” after the alleged incident in the car with Majors.

Chaudhry replayed surveillance video showing Jabbari running after Majors on the street for blocks after the car stopped, alleging that Jabbari was the aggressor in the incident, and later pointing to the fact that she had ripped Majors’ coat to stop him from leaving the car at one point in the evening. She suggested Jabbari had injured herself later, after drinking and taking sleeping pills, adding that Jabbari told officers who found her that she did not know how she sustained the injuries.

“This whole trial has been about what happened in that car, even though the People want this trial to be about arguments from months and years ago,” Chaudhry said. “What happened in the car is obvious. The real mystery is: What happened after Grace got home?”

In their closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Kelli Galaway said Jabbari proved her credibility, as shown by the fact that Jabbari took the stand for several days and would not stand to benefit from this trial, given that the charges were brought by the state rather than Jabbari herself. The prior evidence introduced into court about their relationship, including texts and audio of Majors telling Jabbari to act like Michelle Obama or Coretta Scott King, was brought forward as evidence of the level of control Majors allegedly asserted over her, calling her a victim of domestic violence. She argued that this explains why Jabbari was initially reluctant to tell police and others how she sustained the injuries.

“I submit to you that her actions cannot be taken in an isolated vacuum,” Galaway said.

Galaway said Jabbari’s testimony remained consistent throughout the case, including the fact that she chased Majors down the street because “she needed closure” over who sent the text message. Galaway replayed the video of Majors “throwing” Jabbari back into the car, which relates to the harassment charge, and said it was not “placing” Jabbari back in the car to get out of traffic, as the defense had claimed, showing footage indicating the car stopped at a red light.

Galaway pointed to testimony from the doctor who treated Jabbari, who said the injuries were consistent with the way she described them happening, and dismissed testimony from the car’s driver, who had been a witness for the prosecutors and did not see the altercation, but said he assumed that Jabbari was the aggressor. Galaway argued the driver was biased toward Majors because he had paid for the car. As for the 911 call made by Majors, Galaway said that does not prove his innocence.

“There’s nothing wrong with appreciating the fact that the defendant called 911,” she said. “That does not dispute the fact that he assaulted her the night before.”

Best of The Hollywood Reporter