BY NBC NEWS
Jonathan Majors, who has been one of Hollywood’s most promising performers for the last five years, is expected to remain on the A-list for the foreseeable future thanks to his roles in the Marvel and “Creed III” films.
Then Majors’s life was taken over by judicial drama as he and his ex-girlfriend began accusing one another of assault.
The district attorney said that the accusations against Majors’ ex-girlfriend lacked “prosecutorial merit,” and Majors has refuted the accusations.
The publicized accusations between Majors, 34, and his ex-girlfriend, 30-year-old Grace Jabbari, have halted his quick ascent to stardom and raised doubts about his morality at a time when American institutions claim to be making an effort to give abuse allegations more weight.
The lawsuit puts his future in jeopardy against “believe women,” a movement that aims to accept accusations of domestic and sexual abuse, usually against males, at face value. If found guilty, he may spend a year in prison, but Hollywood’s punishment could be harsher.
The battle that British choreographer and dancer Jabbari is engaged in might have even greater ramifications, either as a triumph in the fight against abuse or as fuel for those who want to undermine “believe women.”
According to the New York City Police Department at the time, Majors was detained on March 25 in New York City on charges of strangling, beating, and harassing her.
The event that was reported early that morning gave rise to further allegations. Majors said that Jabbari had attacked him while entering a not guilty plea to all charges.
She was brought to a hospital after the altercation in Manhattan’s Chelsea district with “minor injuries to her head and neck,” according to police.
Prosecutors said that the fight began in a town vehicle. They added that Jabbari saw a text that she thought was from another lady and reached for Majors’ phone. The message said, “Wish I was kissing you right now,” the prosecution stated.
Prosecutors said that in an effort to retrieve the phone, Majors retaliated by grabbing her finger, bending her arm behind her back, and hitting her face.
Officials added that once the vehicle stopped, the two exited, but Majors tossed the woman back in. Majors slept at a motel after the two split up, but he returned a few hours later, according to the prosecution.
According to the prosecution, Jabbari said that while she had fallen asleep, he believed that she had attempted suicide and was unconscious as a consequence when he got home. Majors claimed to have phoned 911 to report the attempt, but when the operator questioned him about Jabbari’s specific circumstances, he said, “I don’t know,” according to a call recording that the court made public.
The cops arrived.
Before his arrest, Majors, who was reared in Lompoc, California, and received part of his education from Yale University, seemed to be headed toward becoming one of the tentpole stars in the film business, or the people it looks to for box office gold.
In addition to appearing in the 2020 HBO series “Lovecraft Country,” the 2019 indie film “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” and this year’s “Creed III,” he gained notoriety as Marvel’s most recent terrifying villain, “Kang the Conqueror,” in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
Following his detention and indictment, Variety said that Majors’ talent and public relations managers had fired him, U.S. Army recruiters had removed the actor’s advertisements, and Deadline had revealed that he had been eliminated from consideration for at least two film projects.
The arrest and prosecution of Majors for allegedly attacking Jabbari are shown in this timeline.
Majors is detained on March 25.
Majors is detained in response to claims of domestic violence. He’s been freed, but his contact with Jabbari is restricted by a temporary restraining order, which is standard after accusations of domestic violence.
March 26: A complaint is made
The celebrity is the subject of three misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault, one offense of second-degree harassment, and one count of aggravated harassment from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
According to the complaint, Majors allegedly hit Jabbari in the face with an open hand, lacerated her hand behind her ear, seized her hand, bruised and swollen her finger, and placed his hand on her neck.
Prosecutors claim that the fight started in a car’s rear seat.
The driver of the automobile and the camera evidence, according to Majors’ lawyer Priya Chaudhry at the time, would confirm his “completely innocent” status. She promises that once the facts were known, the charges would be withdrawn.
Jabbari was admitted to the hospital, according to Chaudhry, for a “emotional crisis,” not for the physical wounds that the police had reported.
Additionally, according to the attorney, Jabbari “recanted” the claims of domestic violence in two written declarations. At the time, Carrie Gordon, the publicist for Majors, said, “He has done nothing wrong.”
Majors charge Jabbari on March 30.
The lawyer representing Majors provides NBC News with images that she claims depict text conversations Majors sent to the actor from Jabbari, in which she allegedly acknowledged that “she was the one who used physical force against him.”
“She also disavowed any allegations that he had done anything to her and confirmed that Mr. Majors called 911 because of her mental condition,” said Chaudhry.
Court imposes restraining order on April 27.
Jabbari is given a “full” temporary restraining order by the court, which forbids Majors from communicating with her and reinforces the March protection order.
Making an appearance in court on May 9
Majors appears in court for the first time, according to Variety, via Zoom. Although the hearing seems pretty ordinary, Chaudhry claims afterwards that the case was rife with “explicit and implicit bias,” arguing that Majors’ treatment demonstrates the “racial bias that permeates the criminal justice system,” as reported by the journal.
She refers to Majors’ prosecution as a “witch hunt,” Variety reports.
Majors decides not to provide a defense testimony.
June 21: Filing charges against Jabbari Majors, using a domestic incident complaint and a written statement, went to police to file his own charges against Jabbari, according to the newspaper Insider. According to Insider, the cross-complaint said that Jabbari was the assailant on March 25.
In a statement, Chaudhry affirms the cross-complaint. According to the report, Jabbari attacked Majors in a “frenzied manner,” and his legal team produced pictures and videos of the assaults as well as proof that Majors had been harmed, including shredded clothes.
Majors’ trial date is postponed many times, from the summer into the autumn.
October 25: Arrest of Jabbari
Jabbari submits to processing after Majors files a cross-complaint.
Police said she was taken into custody on assault and criminal mischief charges, and that she was later released with a desk appearance ticket.
A court rejects a petition to dismiss Majors’ assault charge hours before Jabbari is arrested. The date of his trial is Nov. 29.
October 26: The Jabbari case has ended.
The charges against Jabbari, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, lack “prosecutorial merit,” thus it will not pursue legal action.
A spokesman said, “The matter is now closed and sealed.” The district attorney’s choice is referred to by Chaudhry as a “serious injustice.”
Nov. 29: The trial for Majors starts
The trial that will determine Majors’ fate begins.
Dec. 5: Strong evidence
Jabbari admits in court that she was afraid of Majors, but she was also concerned that he might hurt himself. She claims that she thought he was trying to control her by threatening to hurt himself.
Wednesday: Important information is made public
In the trial, the judge presents important evidence.
Judge Michael Gaffey of the New York Criminal Court had already determined that certain information will be withheld from the public at the request of Majors’ team.
However, he makes public several important pieces of evidence on Wednesday, including a recording of Majors’ 911 call in which she reports that Jabbari may have attempted suicide; pictures taken by Jabbari after the incident on March 25 that reveal dark bruises on her finger and a cut behind her ear; and footage from the body cameras of the responding police.
In the text exchanges between the two that have been made public, Majors writes, “Maybe I’m such a monster and horrible man that I don’t deserve it [love] and should just kill myself.” Majors sent this mere hours after the event.
Majors expressed concern during the same conversation that Jabbari may be subject to an inquiry if he sought medical attention for the lacerations and bruises.
In response, she said that although she would postpone the appointment, it was necessary since she need pain relief. “I will tell the doctor I bumped my head,” she said.
“Why would I want to tell them what really happened when it’s clear I want to be with you,” she said in a text.
Thursday: The jury will hear the case.
The judge instructs the jury to continue deliberating Friday afternoon in the event that a result is not reached.
