The Associated Press has reported that actor Jonathan Majors has been ordered to complete a year-long counseling program but avoided jail time Monday for assaulting his ex-girlfriend. The actor had faced up to a year behind bars after he was convicted of misdemeanor assault by a Manhattan jury back in December.
This started last March when Jabbari accused Majors of attacking her in the backseat of a chauffeured car, saying he hit her head with his open hand, twisted her arm behind her back, and squeezed her middle finger until it fractured.
On Monday, Judge Michael Gaffey sentenced Majors to a conditional discharge after noting that both sides agreed the charges did not warrant jail time, given the actor was a first-time offender with no prior criminal record. Gaffey said Majors must complete a year-long, in-person batterer’s intervention program. In addition, Majors has to continue with the mental-health therapy his lawyers say he’s been going to. Majors faces a year in jail if found violating the terms, which include a no-contact order with his former girlfriend, Grace Jabbari.
Majors’ lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, said the actor did not want to make any public statement that Jabbari could use against him in the civil suit she’s filed against the actor. Majors, she added, is “committed to growing as a person” and will complete any court-mandated programs “with an open heart,” though he maintains his innocence.
Following the December guilty verdict, Majors was instantly dropped by Marvel Studios as Kang the Conquerer, the time-traveling big bad that was poised to take center stage for the next wave of films and television shows. He also was dropped by his rep and other projects that were announced.
“He’s lost his whole career,” Chaudhry said in court. “This has been the most challenging year of his life.” But Jabbari said Majors refuses to acknowledge his guilt and remains a danger to those around him.
“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.”
In response to the accusations, Majors launched a PR campaign that included a nationally televised interview, added Assistant District Attorney Kelli Galloway as she argued for a sentence of violence counseling for Majors.
