Jonathan Majors assault trial begins Wednesday
By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN
(CNN) — The trial in the assault and harassment case against Marvel actor Jonathan Majors is set to begin on Wednesday in New York City.
The case stems from a March 25 domestic dispute involving Majors and his former girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. Majors has pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and aggravated harassment.
Following his initial arrest, a Manhattan judge released Majors on his own recognizance and granted a limited order of protection prohibiting contact with Jabbari, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office told CNN at the time.
Jabbari claims that Majors struck her “about the face with an open hand, causing substantial pain and a laceration behind her ear,” according to a complaint she filed in New York City in March. She also claims he “put his hand on her neck, causing bruising and substantial pain.”
In June, Majors filed a counter-complaint against Jabbari, claiming he was assaulted by her in the same March dispute, according to court filings obtained by CNN.
Jabbari was arrested in New York City in October on suspicion of assault and criminal mischief stemming from Majors’ countersuit, but a spokesperson for the Manhattan DA’s Office told CNN in a statement that the DA has declined to prosecute the case against Jabbari “because it lacks prosecutorial merit.”
Last month, a judge denied Majors’ motion to dismiss the assault case.
Jabbari and her attorney have not publicly commented on the case.
Majors’ attorney Priya Chaudhry denied the allegations against him in a statement to CNN in August, adding that Majors “has had his life, career, and reputation torn apart” as a result of the charges.
CNN reported in October that Disney has removed “Magazine Dreams,” an upcoming film starring Majors that was due out on December 8, from its release calendar. He was also reportedly dropped by his PR and management teams in the wake of the allegations.
Majors was featured in “Ant-Man: Quantumania” as one of the the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next major villains, and has portrayed a version of the character over both seasons of the Disney+ Marvel series “Loki.”
The character, known as Kang, is also currently set to be featured in two upcoming “Avengers” sequels for Marvel, scheduled in 2026 and 2027.
The trial is expected to last several days.
CNN’s Dan Heching, Marianne Garvey and Kristina Sgueglia contributed to this report.
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