NEW YORK (AP) – Jonathan Majors was convicted of assaulting his former girlfriend after a trial that he hoped would vindicate him and restore his status as an emerging Hollywood star. Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Co dropped him hours after the verdict.
A Manhattan jury found Majors, 34, guilty of one misdemeanour assault charge and one harassment violation stemming from his March confrontation with then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. She said he attacked her in a car and left her in excruciating pain; his lawyers said Jabbari was the aggressor.
Majors, who was acquitted of a different assault charge and of aggravated harassment, showed no immediate reaction as the verdict was read. He declined to comment as he left the courthouse.
His lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, said in a statement that he still has faith in the process and looks forward to fully clearing his name. While he was convicted of an assault charge that involves recklessly causing injury, she said his team was grateful for his acquittal on the other assault count, which concerned intentionally causing injury.
“Majors is grateful to God, his family, his friends and his fans for their love and support during these harrowing eight months,” Chaudhry said. Marvel and Disney immediately dropped the Creed III star from all upcoming projects following the conviction, said a person close to the studio who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to speak publicly on the matter.
Majors’ sentencing was set for February 6. He faces the possibility of up to a year in jail for the assault conviction, though probation or other non-jail sentences also are possible.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement that the trial illustrated a cycle of psychological and emotional abuse, and escalating patterns of coercion.
