Jonathan Majors will face a trial on domestic abuse charges after a New York judge denied the motion to dismiss the case. The trial date is set to begin on Nov. 29.
Majors appeared on Wednesday morning in a lower Manhattan courtroom via Zoom because hes out of state.
During the hearing, his defense attorneys filed a motion to request that contested evidence remain under seal and barred from public view due to thehigh profile nature of the case and allegations against Majors. Defense attorney Seth Zuckerman told Judge Michael Gaffey that he believes the disclosure of sensitive information will limit Mr. Majors right to a fair trial. The judge did not yet rule on the motion and told reporters in the room they could submit papers to oppose it by Nov. 6.
Following Wednesdays decision, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorneys office issued a statement saying, We look forward to presenting our case at trial.
The Marvel actor was arrested in Manhattan on March 25 and charged with assault and aggravated harassment after an alleged domestic dispute with his girlfriend at the time, Grace Jabbari. Majors has pleaded not guilty to the four charges leveled against him. If convicted of misdemeanor charges of harassment and assault, he faces up to one year in jail.
Prior to Wednesdays hearing, the Manhattan District Attorneys office filed a 115-page response to the actors motion to dismiss the case. The document alleges that Majors legal team has leaked and misrepresented court evidence, as well as attempted to have police create a wanted poster with Jabbaris photo.
At the time of arrest, Jabbari told officers that she was assaulted and taken to the hospital with minor injuries to her head and neck after an alleged altercation in a taxi. Defense attorneys for Majors alleged it was Jabbari who assaulted Majors, and not the other way around. His team also suggested that racial bias has played a role in the investigation and called the case a witch hunt against the Emmy-nominated actor.
As his initial court date neared, additional alleged victims of Majors came forward and cooperated with the Manhattan district attorneys office.
Priya Chaudhry, one of Majors criminal defense lawyers, alleges to have evidence that cleared Majors of any wrongdoing, including surveillance video that showed Jabbari completely unharmed after the defendants alleged assault. But the prosecutions recent filing countered this assertion, saying the surveillance video referred to by the defense actually shows Ms. Jabbari visibly upset, crying, and seeking help from strangers to get an Uber cab home.
In April, Jabbari was granted a temporary order of protection, which means the two parties cannot have any direct or third-party contact. The order remains in place.
In the wake of the allegations, Majors has been cut from feature film projects and dropped by his PR team at the Lede Company, as well as his management, Entertainment 360. WME still represents the actor. He stars in the upcoming drama Magazine Dreams, which is still slated for release in December. He also has a major role, as the villainous Kang the Conqueror, in the current phase of Disneys sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe.