The actor was found guilty of one count of assault and one count of harassment in December 2023.
Nearly four months after Jonathan Majors was found guilty of one count of assault and one count of harassment, the former Marvel star has been given his sentence. On Monday, Judge Michael Gaffey declared that "Jail is not necessary," sentencing Majors to one year of domestic violence counseling.
Majors must complete a 52-week in-person batterer's intervention program and continue with his mental health therapy. The 34-year-old actor must provide the court with updates on treatment, with his first compliance date on Sept. 13. If he is not compliant, Judge Gaffey said Majors could face up to 364 days in jail on the misdemeanor.
Judge Gaffey also granted a protection order for Majors' ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari.
Majors was facing up to a year in jail: third-degree assault is a class A misdemeanor that carries with it a maximum sentence of one year in jail, while second-degree harassment is a violation punishable by up to 15 days in jail. Prosecutors asked for a sentence of domestic violence programming, with a six-month jail alternative if Majors failed to complete programming, as well as a full order of protection for Jabbari.
Judge Gaffey explained that since it's his first conviction, Majors will also have to give DNA and pay a separate $250 surcharge.
Majors arrived in court Monday morning with his current girlfriend, Meagan Good.
Jabbari delivered a victim impact statement telling the court, in part, "When I was with him, I became a different version of myself. His emotional and psychological abuse was just as damaging."
"He was not only trying to intimidate me but paint me as crazy. He is not sorry and has not accepted responsibility. He will do this again. He will hurt other women. This is a man who believes he is above the law," the 31-year-old British dancer said to the court. "I will not rest until I feel he is not a danger to anyone else. He refuses to acknowledge his guilt. I have seen his physical anger, and he does not have control over it."
Majors did not make a statement, with his attorney, Priya Chaudhry, saying that Jabbari would "attempt to use it against him in her civil case."
Chaudhry called this "the most challenging year" of the actor's life, and said he would abide by the sentence. "Mr. Majors maintains his innocence and plans to appeal his conviction," Chaudhry added.
Majors' guilty verdict followed a weeks-long domestic violence trial back in December 2023.
Majors' legal team tried numerous times to get the judge to dismiss the case, but the judge ruled that there was sufficient and competent evidence showing Majors and Jabbari were involved in an altercation where she alleged suffering substantial pain.
After numerous delays, the trial finally began on Nov. 29, when Majors and Good walked into court hand in hand. Majors also walked in holding a bible.
The trial stemmed from a March 25 arrest in which authorities claimed Majors "struck, shoved, kicked and otherwise subjected another person to physical contact thereby causing physical injury to such person and to a family and household member of such person" during an argument in the backseat of a car. Jabbari also claimed Majors struck her in the face with "an open hand."
When Jabbari took the witness stand, she testified to numerous instances in which Majors allegedly became aggressive and ultimately violent. In one instance, Jabbari recalled allegedly taking a "blow" to the head during a heated argument. The alleged argument stemmed from Majors allegedly texting another woman, leading Jabbari to grab his phone. In attempting to retrieve his phone, Jabbari claimed Majors became physically violent.
But the most damning day in court came when the Manhattan District Attorney's Office released disturbing text messages and audio recordings detailing what prosecutors alleged showed Majors' erratic and violent behavior. In one of those messages, Majors told Jabbari she needed to act more like Coretta Scott King and Michelle Obama.
One text message -- purportedly sent by Majors in September 2022 -- showed he threatened to kill himself as Jabbari contemplated going to a hospital after allegedly sustaining a head injury during a prior altercation. According to text messages allegedly sent by Majors, prosecutors claimed he did not want her to seek medical help and attempted to dissuade her via text.
"I fear you have no perspective of what could happen if you go to the hospital," Majors wrote. "They will ask you questions and as I don't think you actually protect us it could lead to an investigation even if you do lie and they suspect something."
In a response text, Jabbari wrote, "I will tell the doctor I bumped my head, if I go, I'm going to give it one more day, but I can't sleep and need some stronger painkillers. That's all. Why would I want to tell them what really happened when it's clear I want to be with you?"
Along with the text messages shared by the Manhattan DA's Office, prosecutors also shared photos of injuries Jabbari sustained, allegedly at the hands of her ex.
During closing arguments, Chaudhry gave an impassioned closing statement that lasted just over an hour. Chaudhry revisited the video evidence released by the Manhattan D.A.'s Office, which showed surveillance footage of Majors and Jabbari in some sort of scuffle on the street on the day of the alleged incident that led to his arrest in March. Prosecutors had said the footage showed Majors "repeatedly pushing [Jabbari] back into the vehicle with all of his force."
The video footage later showed them exiting the vehicle. After a brief moment on the sidewalk, Majors is seen sprinting away from Jabbari, who chases after him.
"We all just saw it with our own eyes," Chaudhry said in her closing arguments. "He puts her back in the car because they are in the middle of moving traffic. He helps her out of the car. He walks her safely to the sidewalk and then she starts grabbing him again [Chaudhry stomps her foot at this time]. She chases him even in front of moving cars."
Majors was eventually found guilty of one count of assault and one count of harassment. However, the Creed III star was found not guilty on one count of intentional assault in the third degree and aggravated harassment in the second degree. The verdict came after about five hours of deliberations over portions of three days.
In a statement to ET, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said, "At the Manhattan D.A.'s Office, we are committed to centering survivors in all of our work. The evidence presented throughout this trial illustrated a cycle of psychological and emotional abuse, and escalating patterns of coercion far too common across the many intimate partner violence cases we see each and every day."
"Today, a jury determined that pattern of abuse and coercion culminated with Mr. Majors assaulting and harassing his girlfriend," he added. "We thank the jury for its service and the survivor for bravely telling her story despite having to relive her trauma on the stand."
The same day Majors' verdict was announced, Disney and Marvel Studios cut ties with the actor who'd portrayed Kang the Conqueror, and was positioned to be a major player in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
ET learned that Disney/Marvel parted ways with Majors and would not be moving forward on any projects he was previously attached to star in. This includes Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
Both projects were in the early stages of development and neither had a start of production date or shooting schedule determined as of yet.
Since being found guilty, Majors has been vocal about his desire to return to Hollywood.
In a January interview with ABC News' Linsey Davis, the actor declared that he has "never struck a woman," maintaining his claims that he did not hit his ex-girlfriend. As for how her injuries came about, the actor said, "I wish to God I knew."
"That would give clarity, that would give me some type of peace about it," he said. Still, he maintained he did not cause them. "I have no question," he said.
As for his responsibility in her injuries, Majors only expressed regret over having been there with Jabbari on the night in question. He also said he was "absolutely shocked and afraid," when the verdict was given.
"I'm standing there and the verdict comes down. I say, 'How is that possible based off the evidence, based off the prosecution's evidence, let alone our evidence? How is that possible?'"
The at-times teary-eyed Majors claimed that he had not seen his daughter in a long time, saying their separation has a lot to do with the case. One person who has been a constant in his life since the case began is Good, who was in the room during his ABC interview.
"She's an angel. She's held me down like... a Coretta," he said, referencing Martin Luther King Jr.'s wife. He reportedly encouraged Jabbari to act like Coretta Scott King, according to audio of him she recorded.
"I'm so blessed to have her," he continued. "You know, the relationship is still fresh, but, you know, I think I found her."
As for what his future holds, Majors said he prays it includes Hollywood.
"Yeah, I do," he said when asked if he thinks he'll ever work in the industry again. "I pray I do, but it's God's plan and God's timing."
-- Additional reporting by Taylor Baren.
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