Ex-girlfriend sues Jonathan Majors over battery and defamation accusations

By Maria Sole Campinoti and Dalia Faheid, CNN

(CNN) — Months after former Marvel actor Jonathan Majors was found guilty of assault of his ex-girlfriend in a 2023 incident, the former girlfriend has sued him over accusations that he physically and verbally abused her during their nearly two-year relationship.

The suit, filed by Grace Jabbari on Tuesday in a New York federal court, accuses Majors of battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, malicious prosecution and defamation. The case stems from “a pattern of pervasive domestic abuse that began in 2021 and extended through 2023,” the suit reads.

The suit comes just three months after a New York jury found Majors guilty of one count of reckless assault in the third degree and a non-criminal charge of harassment as a violation, relating to a domestic dispute with Jabbari in March 2023. The actor could face up to a year in prison for the assault conviction. He also faces a maximum of 15 days in jail and a $250 fine for the harassment violation. Sentencing, initially set for February, was recently moved to April.

The lawsuit alleges that Majors kept denying committing acts of assault even after being convicted, including in an exclusive interview that aired on January 8 with ABC News’ Linsey Davis, and that he made defamatory statements against Jabbari.

Majors “continued to show an utter lack of remorse for his actions and inability to be deterred from future similar conduct,” the lawsuit reads.

“When publicly confronted with Grace’s numerous allegations of abuse, Majors has called her a liar at every turn and very specifically claimed that he has never put his hands on a woman, with the goal of convincing the world that Grace is not a victim of domestic abuse but instead a crazy liar who should be treated as such,” the lawsuit says.

Majors’ attorney Priya Chaudhry said in a statement to CNN: “This is no surprise. Mr. Majors is preparing counterclaims against Ms. Jabbari.”

The lawsuit says Majors began exhibiting “concerning behaviors as early as September 2021.” The first episodes of violence happened less than a year later, Jabbari alleges. Physical and verbal assaults continued to occur until the March 2023 domestic violence incident in New York for which Majors was convicted, the lawsuit alleges.

Jabbari is seeking more than $75,000 in compensatory and punitive damages, according to the lawsuit.

Accusations against Majors

The first time that he physically attacked Jabbari was in July 2022, the lawsuit alleges, when he “shoved her into the shower door” then “threw her body into the shower wall.”

In another incident in September 2022, Majors assaulted Jabbari, and “pushed Grace so hard that it bruised her backside,” the lawsuit says. As Jabbari tried to get up and leave a house, “Majors picked Grace up in the air and threw her against the hood of her car,” according to court documents.

When Jabbari screamed for help, Majors “forcefully grabbed Grace, placing her in a headlock and put his hand over her mouth to prevent someone from hearing her cries for help,” the lawsuit says. “He brought Grace back into their house and held his hands around her neck, stating that he wanted to kill her, and that he was going to kill her,” the lawsuit alleges.

“Majors then started hitting Grace’s head against the marble floor while strangling her until she felt she could no longer breathe,” according to the lawsuit.

Later, Majors was furious after Jabbari told a member of Majors’ team about the incident, the lawsuit alleges. Majors also texted Jabbari to express concerns over the implications that disclosing the assault would have on his career, according to the lawsuit.

“I fear you have no perspective of what could happen if you go to the hospital,” Majors said, according to the lawsuit. “They will ask you questions and as I don’t think you can actually protect us it could lead to an investigation even if you do lie and they suspect something.”

Jabbari responded that she was in physical pain, according to court documents.

“Nothing is fake about the pain my body is currently in,” Jabbari said, according to the suit. “I will tell the doctor I bumped my head, if I go, I’m going to give it one more day, but I can’t sleep and I need some stronger painkillers.”

In the March 2023 incident, the lawsuit alleges, Majors caused Grace to sustain a broken finger and laceration behind her ear. After his arrest, Majors on June 21 filed a “knowingly false” criminal complaint against Jabbari, alleging that Grace had abused him in the incident, the lawsuit says.

The Manhattan district attorney declined to prosecute the complaint against Jabbari “because it lacks prosecutorial merit,” a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office told CNN last year.

Following the December verdict against Majors, the actor was dropped from several projects. Marvel Studios said it would not be moving forward on any future projects with Majors. He will also no longer play basketball player Dennis Rodman in a proposed film, sources told CNN earlier this year.

“Grace Jabbari’s resolve has never wavered. She has shown tremendous bravery in her quest for accountability,” Jabbari’s attorney Brittany Henderson told CNN. “This action will shed light on the truth, bringing her the finality and justice that she deserves.”

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