UPDATED: Jonathan Majors will face a trial on domestic abuse charges after a New York judge denied a motion to dismiss the case. The trial date is set to begin on Nov. 29.
Majors appeared on Wednesday morning in a lower Manhattan courtroom via Zoom because he’s out of state. The Marvel actor was arrested in Manhattan on March 25 and charged with assault and aggravated harassment after an alleged domestic dispute with his girlfriend at the time, Grace Jabbari. Majors has pleaded not guilty to the four charges leveled against him.
During the most recent hearing, Majors’ defense attorneys filed a motion to request that “contested evidence” remain under seal and barred from public view due to the”high profile” nature of the case and allegations against Majors.
Defense attorney Seth Zuckerman told Judge Michael Gaffey that he believes “the disclosure of sensitive information will limit Mr. Majors’ right to a fair trial.” The judge did not yet rule on the motion and told reporters in the room they could submit papers to oppose it by Nov. 6.
Following Wednesday’s decision, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office issued a statement saying, “We look forward to presenting our case at trial.”
On Wednesday night, less than 24 hours after the trial date was set, Jabbari was arrested and charged with assault and criminal mischief in connection to the March incident, according to the New York Police Department. On Thursday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said it had “officially declined to prosecute the case against Grace Jabbari because it lacks prosecutorial merit. The matter is now closed and sealed.”
Prior to Wednesday’s hearing, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office filed a 115-page response to the actor’s motion to dismiss the case. The document alleges that Majors’ legal team has leaked and misrepresented court evidence, as well as attempted to have police create a wanted poster with Jabbari’s photo.
At the time of Majors’ arrest in March, Jabbari told officers that she was assaulted and taken to the hospital with “minor injuries to her head and neck” after an alleged altercation in a taxi. Defense attorneys for Majors alleged it was Jabbari who assaulted Majors, and “not the other way around.” His team also suggested that “racial bias” has played a role in the investigation and called the case a “witch hunt” against the Emmy-nominated actor.
As his initial court date neared, additional alleged victims of Majors came forward and cooperated with the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
Priya Chaudhry, one of Majors’ criminal defense lawyers, alleges to have evidence that cleared Majors of any wrongdoing, including surveillance video that showed Jabbari “completely unharmed” after the defendant’s alleged assault. But the prosecution’s recent filing countered this assertion, saying the “surveillance video referred to by the defense actually shows Ms. Jabbari visibly upset, crying, and seeking help from strangers to get an Uber cab home.”
In April, Jabbari was granted a temporary order of protection, which means the two parties cannot have any direct or third-party contact. The order remains in place.
In the wake of the allegations, Majors has been cut from feature film projects and dropped by his PR team at the Lede Company, as well as his management, Entertainment 360. WME still represents the actor. He stars in the upcoming drama “Magazine Dreams,” which is still slated for release in December. He also has a major role, as the villainous Kang the Conqueror, in the current phase of Disney’s sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe.
(Updated on 10/26 to include NYPD and D.A. statements on Jabbari.)
