Jonathan Majors to face trial in August on domestic violence charges
Actor Jonathan Majors appeared in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday morning for a hearing that lasted about three minutes and resulted in his domestic violence case being set for trial on Aug. 3.
Majors, 33, is charged with misdemeanors including assault stemming from an alleged March confrontation in New York City. His accuser alleges that the Marvel star pulled her finger, twisted her arm behind her back, struck her on the face with an open hand and cut her ear. She also claims that Majors pushed her into a vehicle, causing her to fall backward during the altercation.
According to New York police, the 30-year-old woman was treated at a hospital for minor head and neck injuries following the incident.
In a Tuesday statement to The Times, Majors’ attorney Priya Chaudhry said that she provided the Manhattan district attorney with “compelling” evidence that the female accuser, who has not been named in court records, assaulted Majors “and not the other way around.”
Chaudhry said that the evidence includes videos of the incident in question, as well as photographs displaying Majors’ injuries and his torn clothing.
According to the Associated Press, New York Criminal Court Judge Rachel Pauley wished the actor “best of luck” as she scheduled his trial. She added that an order of protection requiring Majors to stay away from the accuser will remain in place.
“Yes, ma’am,” Majors said, alongside his lawyers in front of Pauley’s bench.
If convicted, the actor could face up to a year in jail.
Actor Jonathan Majors appeared virtually in New York Criminal Court Tuesday, where a judge told him that a protection order against him remains in place.
Tuesday’s hearing was Majors’ first physical appearance in court, following his virtual appearance at a hearing last month, when prosecutors said they were revising the assault charge to reflect the accuser’s account of what allegedly transpired. A police officer’s account was used in the original version, which included a strangulation allegation among the injuries.
According to AP, the actor waited for his case to be called Tuesday in the courtroom gallery with his lawyers and his girlfriend, Meagan Good, who stars in the “Shazam!” movies. He held a poetry journal and his personal Bible and wore a brown suit.
Two men in unrelated cases had their domestic violence charges dismissed as Majors waited to be seen by the judge. His attorney urged prosecutors to do the same for the actor and to instead charge his accuser.
In lieu of a decision, Chaudhry also requested that Majors’ case go to trial as soon as possible.
Chaudhry had previously accused the district attorney of case-fixing and referred to Majors’ charges as “a witch hunt” against the actor that “highlights the racial bias that permeates the criminal justice system.”
Jonathan Majors reportedly has been dropped by his manager and publicist after an arrest on suspicion of domestic violence. He has denied the allegations.
Prior to setting Majors’ trial for August, the judge issued a sealed decision that prompted Chaudhry to withdraw court papers she’d filed challenging the case, AP reported. Pauley handed copies of her ruling to Majors’ lawyers and prosecutors, but was mum on the details in open court.
Majors has been a star on the rise with leading roles in recent blockbusters like “Creed III” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” He also starred as Atticus Freeman in HBO’s 2020 limited horror series “Lovecraft Country” and hosted “Saturday Night Live” in late 2021.
But in the wake of his arrest, fallout for the actor came swiftly.
On April 17, Deadline reported that the actor had been axed by his talent management company Entertainment 360 and public relations firm the Lede Company. The U.S. Army pulled TV commercials starring him, saying it was “deeply concerned” by the allegations.
Last month, Disney postponed the actor’s upcoming Marvel film “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” from May 2025 to May 2026.
In April, Variety reported that additional alleged abuse victims had come forward to the Manhattan D.A.’s office, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Among the people speaking out following Majors’ arrest was Broadway actor Tim Nicolai, who starred opposite Rachel Weisz in the Public Theater production of “Plenty.”
Nicolai tweeted, alleging that “Folks at Yale and the broader NYC community have known about [Jonathan Majors] for years. He’s a sociopath and abuser and that is how virtually everyone speaks about him. It’s a shame it took this long for him to be reported.”
In an additional post, Nicolai addressed replies asking why he hadn’t done anything sooner. “Folks, people have tried,” he said, adding that a victim needed to come forward and that many of the people in the New York City theater community are close with people whom Majors allegedly harmed.
“I stand by what I wrote,” Nicolai later told Variety. “And I support his victims I know of in however they choose to move forward.”
Majors’ attorney disputed the report that more victims had come forward.
“This story is baseless and without any foundation,” Chaudhry told The Times in April. “Jonathan Majors is innocent and has not abused anyone. Mr. Majors is currently considering his legal options.”
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