Jonathan Majors is going to trial in August on domestic violence charges. The embattled actor appeared in person in a lower Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday morning for the first time in the ongoing assault case. In the brief proceedings, a judge set his trial date to begin on Aug. 3.
Majors entered the courtroom at 9:15 a.m. wearing sunglasses and a dark brown suit. His girlfriend Meagan Good was also in attendance. Majors removed his eyewear before approaching the bench for a status conference, which lasted about three minutes.
Majors was arrested on March 25 in Manhattan on domestic violence allegations and was later charged with several accounts of assault and aggravated harassment. At the center of the charges is a dispute with a 30-year-old woman, who told officers that she was assaulted and was taken to the hospital with “minor injuries to her head and neck.”
His criminal defense lawyer Priya Chaudhry issued a statement after Tuesday’s court appearance saying her team has delivered evidence to the District Attorney “proving Grace Jabbari’s assault on Jonathan Majors and not the other way around.”
“We strongly requested the District Attorney dismiss all charges against Mr. Majors immediately and initiate proceedings against Ms. Jabbari, holding her accountable for her crimes,” Chaudhry wrote. “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.”
In April, the alleged victim wasgranted a temporary order of protection, which means the two parties must not have any direct or third-party contact. Judge Rachel S. Pauley reiterated on Tuesday the “stay away” order remains in effect until the beginning of the trial.
Majors is due back in court on Aug. 3. If he fails to show up, a warrant can be issued for his arrest within 48 hours, the judge reminded him. “I obviously don’t want that to happen, so stay in touch with your attorney,” she told Majors, who responded: “loud and clear.”
The legal team for Majors has denied any wrongdoing andreleased text messages and videosthat are intended to prove the actor’s innocence. In one text exchange, which has not been independently verified, the woman wrote to Majors, “I told them it was my fault for trying to grab your phone” and stressed that she told police “this was not an attack.”
Following a hearing on May 9, in which Majors appeared via Zoom, Chaudhry referred to the case a “witch hunt” and claimed the proceeding is “saturated with explicit and implicit bias.” She also alleges the treatment of Majors, whom she described as a “Black man weighing 200 lbs,” highlights the “racial bias that permeates the criminal justice system.”
In the wake of allegations, Majors wasdropped by his PR teamat the Lede Company, as well as his management, Entertainment 360. WME still represents Majors.
The 33-year-old actor’s star in Hollywood had been on the rise prior to the arrest. An Emmy nominee for HBO’s “Lovecraft Country,” Majors was positioned to have a major role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the villainous Kang the Conqueror.
As part of the fallout, he’s been dropped from projects including the feature film “The Man in My basement,” as well as advertising campaigns with the U.S. Army and the Major League baseball team the Texas Rangers.
