NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Jonathan Majors’ domestic violence case will go to trial Aug. 3, a Manhattan judge said Tuesday, casting him in a real-life courtroom drama as his idled Hollywood career hangs in the balance.
Jonathan Majors is seen in court during a hearing in his domestic violence case, Tuesday, June 20, 2023 in New York. Majors’ domestic violence case will go to trial Aug. 3, the judge said Tuesday, casting him in a real-life courtroom drama as his idled Hollywood career hangs in the balance. (AP Photo/Steven Hirsch, Pool)
Judge Rachel Pauley wished Majors’ “best of luck” as she scheduled his trial. “Yes, ma’am,” Majors said, standing with his lawyers in front of Pauley’s bench in Manhattan’s domestic violence court.
Majors, 33, is accused of twisting a woman’s arm, striking her head and shoving her into a vehicle in New York City in March. He is charged with misdemeanors including assault and could be sentenced to up to a year in jail if convicted.
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Majors’ lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, says he is innocent and that evidence shows the woman was the attacker.
Tuesday’s hearing was Majors’ first time in court since just after his March 25 arrest in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. He appeared by video at a hearing last month where prosecutors said they were revising the assault charge to reflect the perspective of Majors’ accuser. A police officer’s account was used in the original version.
Before his case was called, Majors watched from the courtroom gallery with his lawyers and his girlfriend Meagan Good, who stars in the “Shazam!” movies, as two men in unrelated cases had their domestic violence charges thrown out.
Chaudhry said she urged the Manhattan district attorney’s office to do the same for Majors and to instead charge his 30-year-old accuser “holding her accountable for her crimes.” In lieu of a decision, Chaudhry said, she requested that Majors’ case go to trial as soon as possible.
Before scheduling Majors’ trial, the judge issued a sealed decision that prompted Chaudhry to withdraw court papers she’d filed challenging the case. Pauley handed copies of her ruling to Majors’ lawyers and prosecutors, but did not discuss any details in open court.
Majors, who plays villain Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel films, showed up to court wearing a brown corduroy coat and sunglasses, and carrying his personal Bible and a poetry journal. He said little other than his brief exchange with the judge, which lasted all of three minutes. He smiled at times during his court appearance, which was rescheduled from June 13.
Majors had been a fast-rising Hollywood star with major roles in recent hits like “Creed III” and “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.” But in the wake of his arrest, the U.S. Army pulled TV commercials starring Majors, saying it was “deeply concerned” by the allegations.
Disney last month postponed Majors’ upcoming Marvel film “Avengers: Kang Dynasty” from May 2025 to May 2026. He is also slated to appear in “Avengers: Secret Wars” in 2027.
Jonathan Majors, left, and Meagan Good, right, arrive in court for a hearing on his domestic violence case, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Majors’ accuser alleges he pulled her finger, twisted her arm behind her back, struck and cut her ear and pushed her into a vehicle, causing her to fall backwards. The woman, who was not named in court papers, was treated at a hospital for minor head and neck injuries, police said.
Majors must continue to abide by a protection order barring him from contact with his accuser. A warrant could be issued for his arrest if he does not show up for his trial date, the judge said.
Chaudhry said she’s provided prosecutors with “compelling evidence” of Majors’ innocence, including video showing the woman assaulting the actor and the actor running away from her.
“We also provided photographs illustrating the injuries she inflicted on Mr. Majors and photos of his clothing torn as a direct consequence of (the woman’s) violent actions,” Chaudhry said.
Chaudhry has also accused police and prosecutors of racial bias against Majors, who is Black. She said a white police officer got in Majors’ face and taunted him when he tried showing the officer injuries that he said the woman caused.
