Once-rising Hollywood actor Jonathan Majors will not see any jail time in his high-profile domestic assault case but instead will undergo a yearlong counseling program.
The former Marvel franchise actor and star of “Creed III” was sentenced to conditional discharge after being found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari.
New York Justice Michael Gaffey ordered Mr. Majors to a 52-week-in-person domestic violence prevention program. The counseling will take place in Los Angeles, California, where the actor resides. He must also pay a $250 fine and continue with mental health therapy while providing the court with updates on treatment. His first compliance date is set for Sept. 13.
Judge Gaffey noted jail time was not necessary, but Mr. Majors faces a year in jail if found in violation of the terms.
A sample of his DNA will also be taken, and a full order of protection will remain in place for his ex-girlfriend.
The 34-year-old avoided up to a year behind bars following his December 2023 conviction of misdemeanor assault and harassment. The charges initially stemmed from a domestic dispute between Mr. Majors and Ms. Jabbari.
Mr. Majors was arrested in March of last year following an altercation between the two in the back of a chauffeured serviced vehicle in New York City. Ms. Jabbari accused the actor of assaulting her by hitting her in the head with his open hand, twisting her arm behind her back, and squeezing her middle finger until it fractured.
In photos to jurors, prosecutors showed photos taken of her injuries by authorities, including a cut to her ear and a bruised and swollen finger.
Maintaining his innocence, Mr. Majors filed a cross-complaint, alleging he was the one who was assaulted, not Ms. Jabbari. He claimed she was the aggressor during the incident after becoming enraged when reading a text message from another woman on his phone.
Mr. Majors denied causing the injuries and said he was unaware of how they happened. He claims when she went to grab his phone, he pulled back before she came on top of him, squeezing his face and slapping him.
After a two-week trial, the jury ultimately convicted Mr. Majors of one assault charge and a harassment violation. He was found not guilty of intentional assault in the third degree and not guilty of aggravated harassment in the second degree.
Meanwhile, during his sentencing, Ms. Jabbari delivered an impact statement recounting the events that left her with extreme emotional and physical pain. “I was small, scared and vulnerable, held tightly in his abusive hand.”
“He’s not sorry. He has not accepted responsibility,” she said. “He will do this again and he will hurt other women. He believes he is above the law.”
Mr. Majors, however, declined to address the court, citing fear that Ms. Jabbari would attempt to use it against him in a pending civil litigation. Last month, Ms. Jabbari sued the actor for civil allegations, including assault, battery, defamation, and infliction of emotional distress. She claims from 2021 to 2023, Mr. Majors subjected her to escalating incidents of physical and verbal abuse.
Speaking to the court, his attorney, Priya Chaudhry, said that despite planning to appeal, Mr. Majors would complete any court-mandated programs “with an open heart” and is “committed to growing as a person.”
The Epoch Times has reached out to Mr. Majors’s attorney for comment.
Mr. Majors played the villain Kang the Conqueror in Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and in the series “Loki” on Disney+. As a result of the guilty verdict, Mr. Majors was subsequently fired by Marvel Studios and barred from any future productions with parent company Disney. His agent and PR firm also dropped the actor as a client.
He spoke out to ABC News earlier this year following his conviction, saying he was”shocked”. When questioned if he would ever work in Hollywood again, the actor believes he would make his way back, saying he thinks he deserves a second chance.
“It’s God’s plan and God’s timing.”
From The Epoch Times.