Jonathan Majors’ sentencing delayed over last-ditch bid to avoid prison
Marvel actor is facing up to a year in prison after a Manhattan jury found him guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari
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Jonathan Majors’ sentencing hearing has been postponed after the actor had been scheduled to appear in court to hear his penalties following a jury conviction in December in his domestic assault case.
Attorneys for Majors filed a motion to set aside the verdict, which can be filed under New York law after a conviction but before sentencing, on Monday night.
Prosecutors now have until next month to respond to the motion. Judge Michael Gaffey has scheduled a new sentencing hearing for 8 April.
The former Marvel star, 34, was found guilty on counts of third-degree assault and harassment in December. The jury acquitted him of one count of assault and one count of aggravated harassment. He is facing a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
Officials arrested Majors in March 2023 when Ms Jabbari accused him of slapping her and throwing her into a car.
Following his conviction, Majors’ attorney Priya Chaudry said, “It is clear that the jury did not believe Grace Jabbari’s story of what happened in the SUV because they found that Mr Majors did not intentionally cause any injuries to her”.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement that evidence presented in the trial showed a “cycle of psychological and emotional abuse, and escalating patterns of coercion”.
“We thank the jury for its service and the survivor for bravely telling her story despite having to relive the trauma on the stand,” Mr Bragg said.
Majors’ past credits include Creed III, Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the HBO drama Lovecraft Country, and the 2021 western The Harder They Fall.
Both Marvel and the Walt Disney Corporation have terminated their association with Majors.
Jonathan Majors files dramatic last-ditch motion to postpone assault sentencing:
Majors is facing up to a year in jail following his conviction last year over a dispute between him and his former girlfriend Grace Jabbari. New York City law enforcement arrested Majors in March 2023 after Ms Jabbari accused him of slapping her and throwing her into a car.
Jonathan Majors files dramatic last-ditch motion to postpone assault sentencing
Jonathan Majors is expected to be sentenced on 8 April
Majors says he was ‘shocked’ when assault case verdict handed down
In his first interview since his assault and harassment conviction in December, actor Jonathan Majors said he was shocked by the New York jury’s verdict.
“I was absolutely shocked and afraid,” Majors said in the interview that aired Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America” last month. “I’m standing there and the verdict comes down. I say, ‘How is that possible based off the evidence, based off the prosecution’s evidence, let alone our evidence? How is that possible?’”
The dispute between Majors and Jabbari began in the backseat of a chauffeured car and spilled into the streets of Manhattan. Jabbari, a 30-year-old British dancer, accused Majors of hitting her in the head with his open hand, twisting her arm behind her back and squeezing her middle finger until it fractured.
“That did not happen,” Majors said in the GMA interview. Asked how Jabbari was injured, Majors responded, “I wish to God I knew. That would give clarity. That would give me some type of peace about it.”
Majors’ lawyers alleged at trial that Jabbari flew into a jealous rage after reading a text message — from another woman — on his phone. They said Jabbari had spread a “fantasy” to take down the actor, who was only trying to regain his phone and get away safely.
In the interview, Majors described his injuries as a scratch on his hand and one on his cheek that bled overnight. Surveillance video shows Majors running off with Jabbari chasing him.
“If you watch those videos and you reverse that and you saw a Black man chasing a young white girl down the street screaming and crying, that man is going to be shot and killed in the streets of New York City,” Majors said.
Separate surveillance video shows Majors lifting Jabbari into an SUV.
Majors said he was speaking because he “felt like it was time.”
“A lot has happened in my personal life, in my career, and the culture,” he said. “It’s about responsibility and coming forward and being brave and giving my part of the story.”
Everything ex-Marvel actor Jonathan Majors has been dropped from
Jonathan Majors was on a stratospheric trajectory before being charged with assault and harassment in March of this year.
The 34-year-old actor had, weeks earlier, co-presented an award at the 95th Oscars with his Creed III co-star Michael B Jordan.
He was receiving rave reviews for his turn as Marvel’s major new villain Kang following his debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
The Independent’s Tom Murray reports:
Everything ex-Marvel actor Jonathan Majors has been dropped from
34-year-old actor was arrested weeks after presenting at the Oscars
WATCH: Jonathan Majors expresses 'shock' at verdict in first interview since assault conviction
Marvel to ‘change’ Avengers title after guilty Jonathan Majors verdict
Majors previously played the role of Kang the Conqueror in the TV series Loki as well as 2023 film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Both projects set him up as the next big Avengers villain designed to follow in the footsteps of Josh Brolin’s Thanos. The fifth Avengers film was called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, this title has been scrapped, and the project will be officially known as Avengers 5 until a new title is decided on. The decision to change the title suggests that Kang will be written out of the franchise as opposed to being recast.
In September, it was reported that Marvel executives, including studio boss Kevin Feige, gathered to discuss “backup plans, including pivoting to another comic book adversary”, like Fantastic Four character Dr Doom.
After news of the allegations broke, Majors was dropped by his management team, while the US Army pulled a number of advertisements featuring the actor from circulation. He was also reportedly dropped from a forthcoming adaptation of the Walter Mosley novel The Man in My Basement.
WATCH: CCTV shows Jonathan Majors shoving girlfriend before she chases him
Grace Jabbari’s birthday wish following Jonathan Majors verdict
Grace Jabbari announced her birthday wish one day after a Manhattan jury found actor Jonathan Majors guilty of two counts of assault and harassment towards her.
“For my birthday, if you want.. a donation to @sffny, a charity that helped me so much this year, would be the best gift you could give,” Ms Jabbari wrote in an Instagram Story. “Thank you so much @sffny, and everyone else...for everything.”
The New York charity, Sanctuary for Families, is dedicated to the safety, healing and self-determination of victims of domestic violence and related forms of gender violence, its website states.
Ms Jabbari has not directly commented on the trial’s result but her attorney, Ross Kramer, issued the following statement after the Monday verdict: “We are gratified to see justice served by today’s guilty verdict.
“Ms Jabbari testified publicly and truthfully, even though reliving these traumatic events on the witness stand was obviously painful,” he said.
Prosecutors said Majors and Jabbari’s relationship was based on ‘control, domination, manipulation, and abuse'
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement that evidence presented in the trial showed a “cycle of psychological and emotional abuse, and escalating patterns of coercion”.
“We thank the jury for its service and the survivor for bravely telling her story despite having to relive the trauma on the stand,” Mr Bragg said.
During closing arguments, prosecutors said that the case had hinged on four words: “control, domination, manipulation, and abuse.”
Assistant district attorney Kelli Galloway also criticised the defence’s portrayal of Jabbari as trying to seek revenge after the alleged assault: “This is not consistent with the testimony that you heard,” she said.
“This is not a revenge plot to ruin the defendant’s life, his career, to take everything away from him,” Ms Galloway continued. What transpired in March 2023 was “not consistent with a premeditated plan of revenge.”
WATCH: Marvel actor Jonathan Majors could face prison after being found guilty of assault
Jonathan Majors' Marvel ouster after assault conviction throws years of Disney's plans into disarray
Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Co. dropped Majors from all future projects following the actor’s conviction for assault and harassment on Monday, according to a person close to the studio who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The swift move by Disney marked a stunning about-face for an actor who had been one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising stars.
Jonathan Majors' Marvel ouster after assault conviction throws years of Disney's plans into disarray
Marvel had more riding on Jonathan Majors than perhaps any other actor